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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 14, 2026

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A Light-Responsive Neural Circuit Suppresses Feeding.

Hailan Liu1, Na Qu2,3,4,5,6, Natalia Valdez Gonzalez7

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030 yongx@bcm.edu. hailan.liu@bcm.edu questina@163.com.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|June 19, 2024
PubMed
Summary

Light exposure suppresses appetite, while darkness increases food intake in mice, rats, and humans. A newly discovered neural circuit involving the lateral habenula and dorsal Raphe nucleus regulates this light-dependent feeding behavior.

Keywords:
5-HTLHbfeedinglight

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Physiology
  • Behavioral Biology

Background:

  • Light influences numerous physiological processes, yet its effect on feeding behavior is not well understood.
  • Existing research has not fully elucidated the neural mechanisms linking environmental light cues to appetite regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of light and darkness on feeding behavior across different species.
  • To identify the specific neural circuits mediating light-dependent regulation of appetite.

Main Methods:

  • Experiments were conducted on male mice, diurnal male Nile grass rats, and healthy human subjects.
  • Neural activity in the lateral habenula (LHb) and dorsal Raphe nucleus (DRN) was monitored in response to light stimuli.
  • Optogenetic and chemogenetic techniques were used to manipulate the activity of the LHb→5-HTDRN circuit in mice.

Main Results:

  • Light exposure suppressed food intake, while darkness enhanced it in mice, rats, and humans.
  • Lateral habenula (LHb) neurons were found to be responsive to light, activating serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal Raphe nucleus (DRN).
  • Modulating the LHb→5-HTDRN circuit affected feeding behavior, with activation blunting hyperphagia and inhibition preventing anorexia.

Conclusions:

  • A novel neural circuit connecting environmental light signals to feeding behavior has been identified.
  • The LHb→5-HTDRN pathway plays a critical role in regulating appetite in response to light and dark cycles.
  • This discovery provides new insights into the neurobiological underpinnings of feeding behavior and its environmental regulation.