Central nervous system (CNS) control of systemic nutrient homeostasis is a crucial but poorly understood metabolic regulatory axis. A new study (484–492) shows that rat insulin promoter (RIP)-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus regulate peripheral metabolic responses to both normal and high-fat diets through anti-inflammatory effects mediated by vagal innervation of the spleen.
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Carvalheira, J., Odegaard, J. & Chawla, A. A new role for the brain in metabolic control. Nat Med 20, 472–473 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3556
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nm.3556
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