Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA; email:
Annu Rev Genet. 2024 Nov;58(1):455-485. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genet-111523-102202.
Obesity and anorexia are life-threatening diseases that are still poorly understood at the genetic and neuronal levels. Patients suffering from these conditions experience disrupted regulation of food consumption, leading to extreme weight gain or loss and, in severe situations, death from metabolic dysfunction. Despite the development of various behavioral and pharmacological interventions, current treatments often yield limited and short-lived success. To address this, a deeper understanding of the genetic and neural mechanisms underlying food perception and appetite regulation is essential for identifying new drug targets and developing more effective treatment methods. This review summarizes the progress of past research in understanding the genetic and neural mechanisms controlling food consumption and appetite regulation, focusing on two key model organisms: the fruit fly and the mouse . These studies investigate how the brain senses energy and nutrient deficiency, how sensory signals trigger appetitive behaviors, and how food intake is regulated through interconnected neural circuits in the brain.
肥胖症和厌食症是危及生命的疾病，在遗传和神经元层面上仍未得到充分理解。患有这些疾病的患者会经历食物摄入的调节紊乱，导致体重极端增加或减少，在严重情况下，会因代谢功能障碍而死亡。尽管已经开发出各种行为和药理学干预措施，但目前的治疗方法往往收效甚微，且持续时间短。为了解决这个问题，深入了解控制食物感知和食欲调节的遗传和神经机制对于确定新的药物靶点和开发更有效的治疗方法至关重要。这篇综述总结了过去在理解控制食物消耗和食欲调节的遗传和神经机制方面的研究进展，重点介绍了两个关键的模式生物：果蝇 和 小鼠 。这些研究调查了大脑如何感知能量和营养缺乏，感官信号如何引发食欲行为，以及食物摄入如何通过大脑中的相互连接的神经回路进行调节。
