Graduate Program in Neuroscience, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Department of Neuroscience, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
WIREs Mech Dis. 2024 Jan-Feb;16(1):e1632. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.1632. Epub 2023 Oct 13.
Neural circuits in the brain, primarily in the hypothalamus, are paramount to the homeostatic control of feeding and energy utilization. They integrate hunger, satiety, and body adiposity cues from the periphery and mediate the appropriate behavioral and physiological responses to satisfy the energy demands of the animal. Notably, perturbations in central homeostatic circuits have been linked to the etiology of excessive feeding and obesity. Considering the ever-changing energy requirements of the animal and required adaptations, it is not surprising that brain-feeding circuits remain plastic in adulthood and are subject to changes in synaptic strength as a consequence of nutritional status. Indeed, synapse density, probability of presynaptic transmitter release, and postsynaptic responses in hypothalamic energy balance centers are tailored to behavioral and physiological responses required to sustain survival. Mounting evidence supports key roles of astrocytes facilitating some of this plasticity. Here we discuss these synaptic plasticity mechanisms and the emerging roles of astrocytes influencing energy and glucose balance control in health and disease. This article is categorized under: Cancer > Molecular and Cellular Physiology Neurological Diseases > Molecular and Cellular Physiology.
大脑中的神经回路，主要位于下丘脑，对摄食和能量利用的体内平衡控制至关重要。它们整合来自外周的饥饿、饱腹感和身体肥胖信号，并介导适当的行为和生理反应，以满足动物的能量需求。值得注意的是，中枢内稳态回路的紊乱与过度摄食和肥胖的病因有关。考虑到动物不断变化的能量需求和所需的适应，大脑摄食回路在成年期保持可塑性，并且由于营养状况的变化，突触强度会发生变化，这并不奇怪。事实上，下丘脑能量平衡中心的突触密度、突触前递质释放的概率和突触后反应都适应于维持生存所需的行为和生理反应。越来越多的证据支持星形胶质细胞在促进这种可塑性方面的关键作用。在这里，我们讨论这些突触可塑性机制，以及星形胶质细胞在影响健康和疾病中能量和葡萄糖平衡控制方面的新兴作用。本文属于以下分类：癌症 > 分子和细胞生理学神经疾病 > 分子和细胞生理学。
