Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 7, 2026

Functional Analysis of the Larval Feeding Circuit in Drosophila
Published on: November 19, 2013
The inhibitory circuit architecture of the lateral hypothalamus orchestrates feeding
Joshua H Jennings1, Giorgio Rizzi, Alice M Stamatakis
1Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Abstract:
The growing prevalence of overeating disorders is a key contributor to the worldwide obesity epidemic. Dysfunction of particular neural circuits may trigger deviations from adaptive feeding behaviors. The lateral hypothalamus (LH) is a crucial neural substrate for motivated behavior, including feeding, but the precise functional neurocircuitry that controls LH neuronal activity to engage feeding has not been defined. We observed that inhibitory synaptic inputs from the extended amygdala preferentially innervate and suppress the activity of LH glutamatergic neurons to control food intake. These findings help explain how dysregulated activity at a number of unique nodes can result in a cascading failure within a defined brain network to produce maladaptive feeding.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Regulation of Food Intake
Diencephalon: Hypothalamus and Coordination
The hypothalamus interacts with other brain regions, including the pituitary gland, through a direct physical connection called the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The hypothalamus receives somatic and visceral inputs and...
Diencephalon: Anatomical Regions
Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus acts...
Neural Regulation
Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System

