Role of Vagal Afferents in Maintainence of Body Weight and Glucose Homeostasis

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Diseases of metabolic dysregulation are major public health concerns in the developing world. Obesity is associated with multiple health problems and is being recognized as a growing epidemic, while incidence of Type II diabetes continues to rise. Many derangements in the gut-to-brain axis, or the response of central neural pathways to information from the digestive system, have been implicated in obesity and Type II diabetes. However, relatively little is known about the pathways by which information from the periphery reaches these central homeostatic sites. Several lines of evidence suggest that the afferent vagal nerve may play a key role in neural regulation of energy homeostasis. Uncovering these pathways may result in new targets for treatment of energy balance dysfunction. The studies proposed here seek to, using a combination of genetic and pharmacologic manipulations in mice which allow for specific ablation of vagal sensory neurons, determine whether vagal afferents are required for the maintenance of long-term body weight and glucose homeostasis under chow feeding and in diet-induced obesity, if vagal afferents are required for the anti-diabetic actions of thiazolidinediones, and if vagal afferents are necessary for the anti-diabetic action of the CB1R antagonist class of drugs.