Oxytocin, feeding, and satiety
Nancy Sabatier1, Gareth Leng, John Menzies
1Centre for Integrative Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK.
Frontiers in Endocrinology
|March 23, 2013
Summary
Oxytocin, a hormone, reduces food intake and meal duration by acting on the brain. It influences both homeostatic feeding and the rewarding aspects of eating, particularly sugar.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
Background:
- Oxytocin neurons regulate energy balance and food intake.
- Central oxytocin administration potently reduces food intake and meal duration.
- Understanding the central mechanisms of oxytocin's anorexigenic effects is advancing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the central neural pathways and mechanisms through which oxytocin exerts its anorexigenic effects.
- To investigate the role of oxytocin in both homeostatic and reward-related feeding behaviors.
- To explore the specific hypothalamic targets and neuronal populations modulated by oxytocin.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the projections of parvocellular oxytocin neurons to the brainstem.
- Examined the release of oxytocin from magnocellular neuron dendrites in the hypothalamus.
- Assessed the effects of oxytocin on feeding behaviors, including sugar intake and palatable food consumption.
Main Results:
- Parvocellular neurons project to the brainstem, regulating feeding via the vago-vagal reflex.
- Magnocellular neurons release oxytocin to act on distant hypothalamic targets like the ventromedial hypothalamus.
- Oxytocin selectively suppresses sugar intake and may inhibit reward pathways, limiting palatable food consumption.
Conclusions:
- Oxytocin plays a significant role in regulating food intake and energy balance through distinct central neural pathways.
- Oxytocin influences feeding through both homeostatic mechanisms involving brainstem reflexes and reward-related pathways in the hypothalamus.
- Further research into oxytocin's neurobiological actions can inform strategies for managing appetite and eating behaviors.
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