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Hypothalamic response to starvation: implications for the study of wasting disorders
M W Schwartz1, M F Dallman, S C Woods
1Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
The American Journal of Physiology
|November 1, 1995
Summary
Normal weight loss stimulates eating, but anorexia in wasting disorders suggests this response fails. This study models the hypothalamus
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Physiology
Background:
- Weight loss typically increases food intake as an adaptive response.
- Persistent anorexia in wasting conditions indicates a failure of this feeding regulation.
- The hypothalamus plays a crucial role in controlling energy balance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To model the normal hypothalamic response to starvation.
- To investigate disruptions in hypothalamic feeding regulation during weight loss.
- To elucidate the role of cytokines in cachexia.
Main Methods:
- Described a model of hypothalamic pathways regulating energy intake and storage during starvation.
- Proposed a framework for studying hypothalamic dysfunction in weight loss.
- Suggested a mechanism for cytokine involvement in wasting disorders.
Main Results:
- The hypothalamic response to starvation involves stimulating feeding pathways and inhibiting energy expenditure pathways.
- This model provides a basis for understanding anorexia in wasting diseases.
- Cytokines may contribute to wasting by disrupting normal hypothalamic function.
Conclusions:
- The hypothalamic response to starvation is a balance of stimulating intake and inhibiting expenditure.
- Dysregulation of this hypothalamic response contributes to anorexia in wasting disorders.
- Cytokines offer a potential mechanistic link between illness and cachexia.