Why does everything taste better when we're hungry? According to new findings not only does food taste sweeter when our stomachs are rumbling, but bitter food also becomes less difficult to eat--and both effects are moderated by a neural circuit in the hypothalamus.
Generally, we prefer sweet tastes because they signal calorie-rich food, and avoid bitter and sour tastes because they signal spoiled food. However, these preferences are modified by internal states such as hunger. In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers found that starved mice had a greater preference for sweetness and a decreased sensitivity to aversive tastes. The research team focused on Agouti-related peptide (AgRP)-expressing neurons, which are known to be activated during hunger states to trigger feeding behavior, and identified two neural pathways that underlie hunger-induced changes in taste preferences.
"AgRP-expressing neurons are found in the hypothalamus, which is a brain region that plays a vital role in appetite regulation," says first author. "We selectively activated these AgRP-expressing neurons in mice using chemogenetic and optogenetic techniques to see whether they influence the perception of tastes observed under fasting conditions."
After AgRP-expressing neuron activation, downstream glutamate neurons in the lateral hypothalamus in turn modulated mice's taste preferences via two different pathways. Glutamate neurons projecting to the lateral septum increased the preference for sweet tastes, and those projecting to the lateral habenula decreased the sensitivity to bitter tastes.
"The next steps will be to investigate whether these hypothalamic neuronal pathways are altered in pathophysiological conditions such as diabetes and obesity," says co-author of the study. "For example, we already know that people with obesity have a strong preference for sweetness; this might be associated with a change in the activity of the glutamate neurons projecting to the lateral septum."
These new findings could therefore provide the groundwork for the future development of methods to control taste preferences, which would have significant health benefits. However, much work remains to be done before this becomes a reality.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-12478-x
How hunger increases preference for sweet foods
- 3,141 views
- Added
Edited
Latest News
A change in brain function…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Feb
Structures of LRP2 reveal a…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Feb
The structure of a function…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Feb
How tumor suppressor loss e…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Feb
Regulating feature-specific…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Feb
Other Top Stories
Silent synapses are abundant in the adult brain
Read more
The brain's microglia activation slows down Alzheimer's disease
Read more
Social trauma activates brain circuit to block social reward and pr…
Read more
An alternative splicing modulator decreases mutant HTT in Huntingto…
Read more
Changing the intrinsic behavior of neurons
Read more
Protocols
High-yield vesicle-packaged…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Feb
Machine learning prediction…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jan
Differentiating PC12 cells…
By newseditor
Posted 09 Jan
Ultrasensitive sensors reve…
By newseditor
Posted 05 Jan
In vitro-derived medium spi…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jan
Publications
Disinhibition of the orbito…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Feb
Renal control of life-threa…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Feb
Synaptotagmin-1 is a Ca2+ s…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Feb
Cardiometabolic health impr…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Feb
Regulation of ribosomal RNA…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Feb
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 10 Mar
ASCO-2020-GYNECOLOGIC CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 10 Mar