MCHergic control of feeding and energy balance in the LH area

肥胖，指的是身体脂肪比例异常高，已成为一种健康和经济的疾病。 在富裕国家，如美国。因此，密集的调查一直是 进行，以确定导致能量摄入和能量之间的正能量平衡的因素 支出下丘脑在能量摄入和消耗的调节中起着重要作用。 然而，下丘脑中的各种神经元系统如何相互作用以维持正常， 体重以及失调的相互作用如何可能损害能量摄入和 支出在本申请中，我们提出鉴定黑色素浓集激素- 下丘脑外侧核合成（MCH）神经元和下丘脑泌素（Hcrt）神经元在调节 在分子、细胞和整个动物水平上的能量平衡和体重。MCH和Hcrt系统 是调节动物和人类能量平衡的关键角色。妇幼保健系统促进 能量摄入和减少能量消耗，而Hcrt系统促进能量摄入和 支出有形态和功能的证据表明， 这两个系统。然而，目前还不完全清楚这两个系统之间的相互作用是否 调节动物和人类能量平衡所需的，以及相互作用的变化是否 可能导致大脑对生物体能量状态的反应改变， 新陈代谢.根据目前的数据，我们假设MCH和Hcrt系统之间的串扰是 维持正常体重所需的。具体来说，我们建议MCH系统需要激活 从Hcrt细胞促进能量摄入，而MCH神经元可能提供反馈途径，以限制 在Hcrt系统中抑制能量消耗并维持动物正常体重的活性。以来 神经元可塑性在稳态和行为的形成和改变中起着关键作用。 在动物中的功能，很可能可以调节MCH和Hcrt神经元的突触功能 这两个系统之间相互作用的机制之一。因此，这三个目标 应用是：1）为了检验MCH介导的食物摄入需要Hcrt激活的假设， 动物的系统。2)询问MCH系统需要限制Hcrt活性的假设 3）研究妇幼保健活动之间的不平衡是否 和Hcrt细胞是动物中失调的代谢状态（DIO和厌食症）的基础。的答案 这些问题将有助于解决下丘脑内稳态中心之间的串扰和下丘脑的作用。 能量代谢测定中的串扰。我们希望这个项目能造福于患有 能量代谢调节受损导致的疾病/病症（如肥胖和厌食症）。

Obesity, referring to having an abnormally high proportion of body fat, has become a health and economic problem in wealthy countries such as the United States. Therefore, intensive investigations have been conducted to determine the factors leading to the positive energy balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. The hypothalamus plays a substantial role in the regulation of energy intake and expenditure. However, it is still not clear how various neuronal systems in the hypothalamus interact to maintain normal body weight and how the dys-regulated interactions may compromise the balance between energy intake and expenditure. In this application we propose to identify interactions between melanin-concentrating hormone- synthesizing (MCH) neurons and hypocretin (Hcrt) neurons in the lateral hypothalamus in the regulation of energy balance and body weight at molecular, cellular and whole animal levels. Both MCH and Hcrt systems are critical players in the regulation of energy balance in animals and humans. The MCH system promotes energy intake and decreases energy expenditure while the Hcrt system promotes both energy intake and expenditure. There has been morphological and functional evidence on the possible interactions between these two systems. However, it is still not entirely clear whether the interaction between these two systems is required in the regulation of energy balance in animals and humans and whether changes in the interaction may lead to altered responses of the brain to the energy status of organisms and compromised energy metabolism. Based on current data we hypothesize that a crosstalk between MCH and Hcrt systems is required to maintain normal body weight. Specifically, we propose that the MCH system requires activation from Hcrt cells to promote energy intake, while MCH neurons may provide a feedback pathway to limit the activity in the Hcrt system to curb energy expenditure and maintain the normal body weight in animals. Since neuronal plasticity plays a critical role in the formation and modification of homeostatic and behavioral functions in animals, it is very likely that the modulation of synaptic function in MCH and Hcrt neurons could be one of the mechanisms underlying the interaction between these two systems. Therefore, three goals of this application are: 1) To test the hypothesis that MCH-mediated food intake requires activation from the Hcrt system in animals.; 2) To interrogate the hypothesis that the MCH system is required to limit activity in the Hcrt system to curb energy expenditure; and 3) To examine whether the imbalance between the activities in MCH and Hcrt cells underlie dys-regulated metabolic status (DIO and anorexia) in animals. The answers to these questions will help address the crosstalk between homeostatic centers in the hypothalamus and the role of the crosstalk in the determination of energy metabolism. We hope that this project will benefit people suffering from diseases/conditions (such as obesity and anorexia) resulting from impaired regulation of energy metabolism.