El eje intestino-cerebro media la preferencia por el azúcar

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Updated: Dec 23, 2025

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Hwei-Ee Tan^1,2, Alexander C Sisti^1,3, Hao Jin^1,3

¹Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

|April 24, 2020

Resumen

Una vía recién descubierta del intestino al cerebro explica la preferencia por el azúcar. Las neuronas en los ganglios vagales y el tronco cerebral se activan después de la ingestión de azúcar, impulsando la preferencia independiente de los receptores del gusto.

Área de la Ciencia:

La neurociencia
Gastroenterología
Percepción sensorial

Sus antecedentes:

La preferencia por el azúcar es un comportamiento fundamental observado en todas las especies, incluso en ausencia de receptores de sabor dulce.
Los mecanismos neuronales subyacentes a la preferencia por el azúcar, en particular los independientes del sabor, siguen siendo incompletamente comprendidos.

Objetivo del estudio:

Para investigar la base neuronal de la preferencia por el azúcar.
Identificar las vías del eje intestino-cerebro involucradas en la mediación de la preferencia por el azúcar.
Para diferenciar las respuestas neuronales al azúcar frente a los endulzantes artificiales.

Principales métodos:

Utilizó imágenes funcionales para monitorear la actividad del eje intestino-cerebro en respuesta a la administración de glucosa intestinal.
Se identificaron neuronas vagales específicas activadas por la glucosa en el intestino.
Actividad neuronal silenciada genéticamente en el circuito intestino-cerebro identificado en ratones.
Empleó la activación quimiogenética para manipular la actividad del circuito y evaluar las preferencias de comportamiento.

Principales resultados:

Se demostró que una población específica de neuronas vagales y del tronco cerebral son activadas por el azúcar posterior a la ingestión, no por los edulcorantes artificiales.
Se ha demostrado que el silenciamiento de este circuito intestinal-cerebral previene el desarrollo de la preferencia por el azúcar en ratones.
Se confirmó que la activación de este circuito puede inducir la preferencia por sustancias normalmente menos preferidas.

Conclusiones:

Reveló una vía crítica de detección de azúcares post-ingestiva esencial para el desarrollo de la preferencia por el azúcar.
Proporcionó una explicación neuronal para los distintos efectos conductuales del azúcar en comparación con los edulcorantes artificiales.
Descubrió un circuito neuronal clave responsable de la naturaleza altamente apetitosa del azúcar.

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