Function of brainstem brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) in food choice

肥胖是21世纪一个重大的医疗和经济挑战。肥胖的主要原因是摄入了比身体所需更多的食物，卡路里随后被储存为脂肪。了解调节食物选择和膳食大小的生物机制对于成功预防肥胖至关重要。大脑代表着食欲的主协调者，利用许多相互交织的神经回路不断地评估和回应营养状态的变化。这个网络中的一个主要节点是一种名为脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)的大脑化学物质，它是食欲和体重的强大调节器。因此，清楚地了解BDNF调节我们摄入的食物数量和我们选择的食物类型的确切机制是非常有意义的。然而，由于缺乏精确的工具，在这个方向上的发现一直受到阻碍。为了克服这一障碍，我们开发了一种强大的新方法来发现负责传达与膳食相关信息的BDNF的关键来源的位置，以及BDNF如何反过来影响我们选择吃什么食物的决定。我们假设，大脑中称为孤束核的区域内的BDNF通过直接感知和反应我们所吃食物中的营养物质来控制食欲和食物选择。此外，我们假设，经常过量摄入卡路里高密度食物会扰乱BDNF对营养的检测，从而促进过量饮食。我们将在这一应用中使用最先进的技术来测试这些假设，并预计生成的数据将揭示食欲、食物选择和体重的生物基础的重要组成部分，以及与预防和治疗肥胖症相关的发现。

Obesity represents a major medical and economic challenge of the 21st century. The primary cause of obesity is the consumption of more food than the body requires, calories that are then stored as fat. An understanding of the biological mechanisms regulating food choice and meal size is essential to successful prevention of obesity. The brain represents the master coordinator of appetite, employing a number of interwoven neurological circuits to continually appraise and respond to changes in nutritional state. A principal node within this network is a brain chemical called brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), which is a powerful regulator of appetite and body weight. Therefore, a clear understanding of the precise mechanism through which Bdnf modulates how much food we eat and the types of food we choose is of intense interest. However, discoveries in this direction have been hindered by a lack of precise tools. To overcome this obstacle, we generated a powerful new means to discover the location of crucial sources of Bdnf responsible for communicating meal-related information, and how Bdnf, in turn, influences our decisions about what foods we choose to eat. We hypothesise that Bdnf within a brain region called the nucleus of the solitary tract controls appetite and food choice by directly sensing and responding to the nutrients in the food we eat. Furthermore, we hypothesise that the regular over-consumption of calorie dense foods disrupts Bdnf's detection of nutrients, which then facilitates over-eating. We will test these hypotheses using state of the art technology in this application and anticipate that the data generated will reveal an important component of the biological underpinnings of appetite, food choice and body weight, findings relevant to the prevention and treatment of obesity.