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Membrane Potential Dye Imaging of Ventromedial Hypothalamus Neurons From Adult Mice to Study Glucose Sensing
Published on: November 27, 2013
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A ventrolateral medulla-midline thalamic circuit for hypoglycemic feeding
B Sofia Beas1, Xinglong Gu2, Yan Leng1
1Unit on the Neurobiology of Affective Memory, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Nature Communications
|December 5, 2020
Summary
Low glucose triggers feeding responses. Researchers found that specific neurons in the ventrolateral medulla (VLMCA) control this hunger by communicating with the paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (pPVT), a key pathway for seeking food.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Metabolic Regulation
- Homeostasis
Background:
- Glucose deficits (glucoprivation) activate organism-wide responses to restore glucose homeostasis.
- Catecholamine neurons in the ventrolateral medulla (VLMCA) are implicated in orchestrating these responses, but specific circuit mechanisms remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the circuit and cellular mechanisms by which VLMCA neurons control glucoprivation-induced food seeking behavior.
Main Methods:
- Combined anatomical tracing, in vivo calcium imaging, optogenetics, and behavioral analyses.
- Optogenetic manipulation of VLMCA neuron projections to the posterior paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus (pPVT).
Main Results:
- Identified functional connections between VLMCA neurons and nucleus accumbens (NAc)-projecting pPVT neurons.
- Optogenetic activation of VLMCA-pPVT projections induced feeding in satiated mice.
- Inhibiting VLMCA-pPVT communication impaired glucoprivation-induced feeding but not other counter-regulatory responses.
Conclusions:
- The VLMCA-pPVT-NAc pathway is a critical, previously unrecognized node for controlling glucoprivation-induced food seeking.
- The ventrolateral medulla serves as a direct conduit of metabolic information to the midline thalamus (PVT), supporting its role in homeostatic regulation.
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