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Physiology

Forecast for water balance

Nature volume 537, pages 626–627 (2016)Cite this article

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Disturbances in internal water equilibrium can be debilitating for mammals. Two studies pinpoint areas of the mouse brain that respond to and anticipate thirst, preserving systematic fluid regulation. See Letters p.680 & p.685

When I feel thirsty, I drink water. But given the prominence of water intake in my daily life, I dedicate very little time to understanding the biology behind it. Why do I feel relieved almost immediately after drinking a glass of cold water? Why do I drink with every meal? Why do I find myself drinking at particular times each day? In this issue, Zimmerman et al.1 and Gizowski et al.2 shed light on these questions by defining the neuronal subtypes that mediate anticipatory thirst in mice.

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Figure 1: Bring a mouse to water.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michael J. Krashes is in the Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA, and at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland.,

    Michael J. Krashes

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  1. Michael J. Krashes
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Correspondence to Michael J. Krashes.

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Krashes, M. Forecast for water balance. Nature 537, 626–627 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/537626a

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