摄食是一种对于个体生存至关重要的本能行为，除了受到内脏感受信号、能量内稳态、动机行为等调节外，还受到情绪特别是负性情绪的调节，然而，其调控机制仍不清楚。我们最近的预实验发现，恐惧情绪可抑制小鼠的摄食行为，并可能是通过脑桥中央灰质（pontine central gray，PCG）起作用。但是PCG发挥作用的神经机制是什么？PCG能否整合负性情绪和能量内稳态信号而调控摄食行为？在神经性厌食症模型，PCG功能是否发生异常？为了进一步回答这些科学问题，拟综合应用光/化学遗传学、电生理学、行为学、分子遗传学和转基因等多种方法，围绕负性情绪如何调节摄食行为这一核心科学问题，从神经环路的功能和可塑性机制、细胞类型、分子机制等多个层次展开研究，并分析这些神经机制的异常是否贡献于神经性厌食症等疾病发生，预期研究结果将进一步揭示摄食行为的情绪神经调控机制，并为神经性厌食症的治疗提供新思路和潜在药物靶标。

Food intake is a kind of instinctive behavior essential to individual survival. Besides being regulated by visceral sensory signals, energy homeostasis, and motivational behaviors, feeding behavior is also influenced by emotions, especially negative emotions. However, the underlying mechanism is still unclear. Our preliminary data showed that cued fear could acutely inhibit feeding behavior in mice, and further results suggested that pontine central gray (PCG) may play a key role. But what is the neural mechanism by which PCG works? Can PCG integrate negative emotional and energy homeostasis signals to regulate feeding behavior? Is PCG function abnormal in anorexia nervosa models? To further answer these scientific problems, by employing multi-disciplinary approaches involved in light/chemical genetics, electrophysiology, behavior analysis, molecular genetics and transgenosis, we will study the key issues that negative emotion how to regulate feeding behavior at multiple levels, namely, neural circuit, cell type and molecular mechanism, and further analyze whether the abnormalities of these neural mechanisms contribute to the occurrence of related diseases such as anorexia nervosa. The results are expected to further reveal the neural regulation mechanism of feeding behavior and provide new ideas/potential drug targets for the treatment of anorexia nervosa.