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Updated: Aug 11, 2025

Anatomically Inspired Three-dimensional Micro-tissue Engineered Neural Networks for Nervous System Reconstruction, Modulation, and Modeling
Published on: May 31, 2017
Tanycyte, the neuron whisperer
Rafik Dali1, Judith Estrada-Meza1, Fanny Langlet1
1Department of biomedical sciences, University of Lausanne, 1005 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Reciprocal communication between neurons and glia is essential for normal brain functioning and adequate physiological functions, including energy balance. In vertebrates, the homeostatic process that adjusts food intake and energy expenditure in line with physiological requirements is tightly controlled by numerous neural cell types located within the hypothalamus and the brainstem and organized in complex networks. Within these neural networks, peculiar ependymoglial cells called tanycytes are nowadays recognized as multifunctional players in the physiological mechanisms of appetite control, partly by modulating orexigenic and anorexigenic neurons. Here, we review recent advances in tanycytes' impact on hypothalamic neuronal activity, emphasizing on arcuate neurons.
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