Hippocampal Modulation of Energy Intake

智力上的优点。大脑中涉及思维和记忆的区域是如何影响饮食的，这个问题在神经科学中很大程度上被忽视了。这项研究将调查海马体--大脑中与记忆有关的区域--如何影响进食行为。指导这个项目的假设是，对最近吃过的一顿饭的记忆会影响下一顿饭的时间。这项研究的总体目标将是测试海马体是否形成对用餐的记忆，并在用餐后立即抑制进食。特定目标1的实验将回答这个问题，“海马体抑制进食开始吗？”通过测试老鼠吃过一顿饭后暂时扰乱海马区的神经活动是否会减少它们开始下一顿饭所需的时间。在特定目标2中的实验将回答这个问题，“海马体中的脑细胞形成对一顿饭的记忆吗？”通过测试进餐是否会增加海马区活动调节的细胞骨架蛋白(Arc)的水平，Arc是一种在大脑中形成记忆时被激活的基因。这些实验还将开始识别与进餐有关的刺激，这些刺激对于海马体形成对进餐的记忆并抑制进餐时是必要的。这项研究将大大增加我们对影响两餐之间时间安排的因素的理解。鉴于两餐之间的间隔决定了两餐的数量，因此是食物摄入量的主要决定因素，了解海马体在其控制中的作用将对已知的能量调节和海马体依赖记忆做出重要贡献。研究人员投入大量精力指导本科生和研究生，并将继续在科学研究中指导妇女和代表性不足的少数群体。其中一部分资金将用于为一名研究生研究员提供津贴，为一名有前途的本科生研究员提供暑期资金，以及为两名学生每年参加全国会议提供旅费。作为该项目的一部分，其中一名研究人员将在夏季大脑夏令营担任教员夏令营顾问和教师，并将教授记忆和饮食。最后，研究人员和他们的学生将继续通过学校访问、会议报告、大学研讨会和出版手稿来积极传播他们的研究成果。

Intellectual merit. How brain areas involved in thinking and memory influence eating is a question that has been largely ignored in neuroscience. This research will investigate how the hippocampus, a brain area involved in memory, affects eating behavior. The hypothesis that guides this project is that the memory of a recently eaten meal influences the timing of the next meal. The overall goal of this research will be to test whether the hippocampus forms a memory of a meal and inhibits eating during the period immediately after a meal. Experiments in Specific Aim 1 will answer the question, "Does the hippocampus inhibit meal initiation?" by testing whether temporarily disrupting neural activity in the hippocampus after rats have eaten a meal will decrease the time it takes them to start their next meal. Experiments in Specific Aim 2 will answer the question, "Do brain cells in the hippocampus form a memory of a meal?" by testing whether eating a meal increases hippocampal levels of activity-regulated cyotskeletal protein (Arc), which is a gene that is activated when memories are formed in the brain. These experiments will also begin to identify the meal-related stimuli that are necessary for the hippocampus to form a memory of a meal and inhibit meal onset.Broader impacts. This research will significantly increase our understanding of the factors that influence the timing between two meals. Given that the interval between two meals determines the number of meals and is thus a major determinant of food intake, learning the role of the hippocampus in its control will make an important contribution to what is known about both energy regulation and hippocampal-dependent memory. The investigators devote significant effort to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students and will continue to mentor women and underrepresented minorities in scientific research. A portion of the funding will be used to provide a stipend for one graduate student researcher, summer funding for one promising undergraduate student researcher, and travel funds for both students to attend a national conference yearly. As part of this project, one of the investigators will serve as a faculty camp counselor and teacher at a summer Brain Camp and will teach about memory and eating. Finally, the investigators and their students will continue to actively disseminate their research findings through school visits, conference presentations, university seminars, and publication of manuscripts.