Cited by 30Regulation of Appetite and ObesityNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Agrp neuron activity is required for alcohol-induced overeating

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Cains, Sarah, Blomeley, Craig, Kollo, Mihaly, Rácz, Romeo, Burdakov, Denis·2017·Nature Communications

Abstract

Alcohol intake associates with overeating in humans. This overeating is a clinical concern, but its causes are puzzling, because alcohol (ethanol) is a calorie-dense nutrient, and calorie intake usually suppresses brain appetite signals. The biological factors necessary for ethanol-induced overeating remain unclear, and societal causes have been proposed. Here we show that core elements of the brain’s feeding circuits—the hypothalamic Agrp neurons that are normally activated by starvation and evoke intense hunger—display electrical and biochemical hyperactivity on exposure to dietary doses of ethanol in brain slices. Furthermore, by circuit-specific chemogenetic interference in vivo, we find that the Agrp cell activity is essential for ethanol-induced overeating in the absence of societal factors, in single-housed mice. These data reveal how a widely consumed nutrient can paradoxically sustain brain starvation signals, and identify a biological factor required for appetite evoked by alcohol.

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  1. International Aliance for Responsible Drinking (IARD) Health Review: Drinking and Obesity, 2016. Available at http://www.iard.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/HR-Obesity1.pdf.

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Authors
Cains, S., Blomeley, C., Kollo, M., Rácz, R., & Burdakov, D.
Affiliations
  • National Institute for Medical Research (GB)
  • King's College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Cains, Sarah
Venue
Nature Communications
Published
2017-01-10
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
14014-14014
ISSN
2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2571324822
Cited by
30
References
47
Citations by year
2025: 2 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 5
FWCI
2.84
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • Wellcome Trust (FC001055)
  • Francis Crick Institute (10153, FC001055)
  • Cancer Research UK (FC001055)
  • Research Councils UK
  • Medical Research Council (FC001055)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
AgRP neurons, ethanol, hypothalamus, appetite, feeding circuits, chemogenetic manipulation
MeSH terms
Ethanol, Animals, Eating, Electrophysiology, Female, Hyperphagia, Hypothalamus, Male, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Mice, Transgenic, Neurons, Agouti-Related Protein, Single-Cell Analysis

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