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Hindbrain circuits in the control of eating behaviour and energy balance

Nature Metabolism volume 4, pages 826–835 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Body weight and adiposity represent biologically controlled parameters that are influenced by a combination of genetic, developmental and environmental variables. Although the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in matching caloric intake with energy expenditure to achieve a stable body weight, it is now recognized that neuronal circuits in the hindbrain not only serve to produce nausea and to terminate feeding in response to food consumption or during pathological states, but also contribute to the long-term control of body weight. Additionally, recent work has identified hindbrain neurons that are capable of suppressing food intake without producing aversive responses like those associated with nausea. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of the hindbrain neurons that control feeding, particularly those located in the area postrema and the nucleus tractus solitarius. We frame this information in the context of new atlases of hindbrain neuronal populations and develop a model of the hindbrain circuits that control food intake and energy balance, suggesting important areas for additional research.

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Fig. 1: Information flow into and out of the dorsal vagal complex.
Fig. 2: Distinct types of nucleus tractus solitarius neurons and downstream circuits mediate the aversive and non-aversive suppression of food intake.
Fig. 3: Known and potential roles for selected populations of transcriptionally defined nucleus tractus solitarius neurons.
Fig. 4: Known and potential roles for specific populations of transcriptionally defined area postrema neurons.

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Acknowledgements

The Banbury conference on Integrated Control of Feeding and Energy Balance by Hypothalamic and Hindbrain Circuits stimulated much of the thinking underlying this article and related work, and we thank R. Leshan, L. Heisler and the attendees of the conference for sharing their thoughts. We also thank C. Rhodes, D. Sandoval and D. Olson and members of their laboratories, along with members of the laboratories of R.J.S., T.H.P. and M.G.M. for helpful discussions. Supported by AstraZeneca, National Institutes of Health (grant P01 DK117821), the American Diabetes Association (1-16-PDF-021 to W.C.), the Lundbeck Foundation (grant no. R190-2014-3904 to T.H.P.), the Novo Nordisk Foundation (grant no. NNF18CC0034900 to the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, which is an independent research centre, based at the University of Copenhagen), and the Danish Diabetes Academy, which is funded by the Novo Nordisk Foundation (grant no. NNF17SA0031406).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Wenwen Cheng, Desiree Gordian & Martin G. Myers Jr.

  2. Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Desiree Gordian & Martin G. Myers Jr.

  3. Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Mette Q. Ludwig & Tune H. Pers

  4. Department of Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Randy J. Seeley

  5. Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Martin G. Myers Jr.

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Contributions

M.G.M., W.C. and R.J.S. wrote the first draft of the manuscript; all the other authors extensively edited and revised the manuscript. M.G.M. drafted the figures, and W.C. revised the figures in line with comments from the other authors. M.G.M. is the guarantor of the paper.

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Correspondence to Martin G. Myers Jr..

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Competing interests

M.G.M., T.H.P. and R.J.S. receive research support from Novo Nordisk, and M.G.M. and R.J.S. receive research support from AstraZeneca. M.G.M. is a paid consultant for AstraZeneca and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. R.J.S. also receives research support from Fractyl and is a paid consultant for Novo Nordisk, Scohia, ShouTi Pharma and Fractyl. R.J.S. also has equity positions in Calibrate and Rewind. The other authors declare no competing interests.

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Nature Metabolism thanks Zachary Knight and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editor: Ashley Castellanos-Jankiewicz, in collaboration with the Nature Metabolism team.

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Cheng, W., Gordian, D., Ludwig, M.Q. et al. Hindbrain circuits in the control of eating behaviour and energy balance. Nat Metab 4, 826–835 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00606-9

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