Neurobiology of Nutrition & Metabolism Department, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Neurobiology of Nutrition & Metabolism Department, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, LA, USA.
Physiol Behav. 2020 Aug 1;222:112959. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.112959. Epub 2020 May 16.
Ever since the pioneering discoveries in the mid nineteen hundreds, the hypothalamus was recognized as a crucial component of the neural system controlling appetite and energy balance. The new wave of neuron-specific research tools has confirmed this key role of the hypothalamus and has delineated many other brain areas to be part of an expanded neural system sub serving these crucial functions. However, despite significant progress in defining this complex neural circuitry, many questions remain. One of the key questions is why the sophisticated body weight regulatory system is unable to prevent the rampant obesity epidemic we are experiencing. Why are pathologically obese body weight levels defended, and what can we do about it? Here we try to find answers to these questions by 1) reminding the reader that the neural controls of ingestive behavior have evolved in a demanding, restrictive environment and encompass much of the brain's major functions, far beyond the hypothalamus and brainstem, 2) hypothesizing that the current obesogenic environment impinges mainly on a critical pathway linking hypothalamic areas with the motivational and reward systems to produce uncompensated hyperphagia, and 3) proposing adequate strategies for prevention and treatment.
自 20 世纪中期的开创性发现以来，下丘脑被认为是控制食欲和能量平衡的神经系统的关键组成部分。神经元特异性研究工具的新一波浪潮证实了下丘脑的这一关键作用，并描绘了许多其他大脑区域成为扩展的神经系统的一部分，以服务于这些关键功能。然而，尽管在定义这个复杂的神经网络方面取得了重大进展，但仍有许多问题悬而未决。其中一个关键问题是，为什么复杂的体重调节系统无法防止我们正在经历的猖獗的肥胖症流行。为什么病理性肥胖的体重水平会受到保护，我们能做些什么呢？在这里，我们试图通过以下方式找到这些问题的答案：1）提醒读者，摄食行为的神经控制是在一个苛刻的、受限制的环境中进化而来的，它涵盖了大脑的许多主要功能，远远超出了下丘脑和脑干；2）假设当前的致肥胖环境主要影响连接下丘脑区域与动机和奖励系统的关键途径，导致无法补偿的过度进食；3）提出适当的预防和治疗策略。
