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AGRP neurons modulate fasting-induced anxiolytic effects
Changhong Li1,2, Yanjun Hou3, Jia Zhang3,4
1Department of Neurology, Beijing Haidian Hospital, Haidian Qu, Beijing, PR China.
Translational Psychiatry
|March 10, 2019
Summary
Physiological hunger and food deprivation reduce anxiety by activating hypothalamic Agouti-related protein (Agrp) neurons. These Agrp neurons are key to the anxiety-reducing effects of fasting, offering potential therapeutic targets for anxiety disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Endocrinology
- Metabolic Regulation
Background:
- Activation of hypothalamic Agouti-related protein (Agrp) neurons is linked to reduced anxiety and increased foraging behavior.
- The precise impact of physiological hunger and food deprivation on anxiety remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how physiological hunger and food deprivation alter anxiety levels.
- To identify the specific neuronal populations involved in these anxiety changes.
Main Methods:
- Mice were tested in behavioral assays (open field, elevated plus-maze) under fed and fasted conditions.
- Chemogenetic tools (DREADDs) were used to manipulate Agouti-related protein (Agrp) neuron activity in Agrp-Cre transgenic mice.
Main Results:
- Anxiety levels decreased during the late light period, correlating with increased food need and Agouti-related protein (Agrp) neuron firing.
- Anxiety was significantly reduced in mice fasted for 24 hours compared to 12-hour fasted or ad libitum-fed mice.
- Activating Agouti-related protein (Agrp) neurons reduced anxiety in fed mice, while inhibiting them blunted fasting-induced anxiolysis.
Conclusions:
- Anxiety levels fluctuate physiologically with food need and are modulated by acute fasting in a time-dependent manner.
- Agouti-related protein (Agrp) neurons mediate the anxiolytic effects of fasting.
- Agouti-related protein (Agrp) neurons represent a potential therapeutic target for anxiety disorders linked to energy states.
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