AgRP neurons tagged posts

Fasting triggers autophagy in our body. The body switches on the waste disposal system in the cells and gains new energy. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne have now shown in mice that the brain plays a decisive role in this process.

Even after a short period of fasting, the brain triggers the release of the hormone corticosterone and thus initiates autophagy in the liver...

In an advance that helps clarify the role of a cluster of neurons in the brain, researchers have found that these neurons not only control hunger and appetite, but also regulate bone mass. “We have found that the level of your hunger could determine your bone structure,” said Prof Tamas L. Horvat

“The less hungry you are, the lower your bone density, and surprisingly, the effects of these neurons on bone mass are independent of the effect of the hormone leptin on these same cells.”

Horvath and his team focused on agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons in the hypothalamus, which control feeding and compulsive behaviors...