Scientists have discovered that an area of the human brain called the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) contains cells which control our hunger impulses. The researchers who published their findings in the journal Cell identified the area in mice, using a pioneering brain imaging device called iDisco. When the mice were given more than their usual quantity of food, they discovered different levels of activity in the brain’s DRN zone.
Scientists looked at two possibilities for the brain activity. Firstly they investigated whether it was a result of the cells being activated by feelings of hunger and the second possibility was that the cells themselves were driving the emotion of hunger. They concluded that the first scenario was the most likely.
Dr Jeffrey Friedman, whose laboratory conducted the research said, “Obesity is generally associated with leptin resistance. And our recent data suggest that modulation of the activity of specific neurons with drugs could bypass leptin resistance and provide a new means for reducing body weight.”
A recent study in the journal Lancet predicted that by 2025, one-fifth of the world’s population would be obese, causing widespread problems such as diabetes and heart disease.
