A hunger hormone produced in the gut called ghrelin can directly influence the region of the brain responsible for our decision-making
Have you ever felt unfocused while eating? Undoubtedly, as you think, you have put a direct strain on your brain. However, the answer may lie much deeper in your body, at your level Offal. A small hormone, ghrelin, would actually have the power to directly influence the pole of our brain that is responsible for our decision-making.
A recent study published in Neuron and published by Sciences et Avenir reports this. To draw conclusions, scientists started an experiment on mice. The latter were equipped with a device that tracked their neural activity using brain imaging while they were placed in an arena containing food.
All that matters is hunger
However, scientists found that when all the rodents went foraging, only the hungry mice actually ate. When they were not hungry, a region of the hippocampus (a part of the brain responsible for decision-making, but also for…) was formed Memory), saw an increase in its activity around food.
“The mice that weren’t hungry examined the food but very rarely started eating. A bit like looking at a dish without actually touching it when you’ve recently had lunch. The mice, being hungry, changed their behavior and started eating anyway.” the fact that the food offered was exactly the same. We believe that the hippocampus is under the influence of high concentrations Hormoneswould be responsible for this change in attitude” explains Dr. Andrew MacAskill from University College London.
A ghrelin in direct contact with our brain
The person responsible for this brain activity is called ghrelin. This hormone is produced in our intestines when we feel hunger or deficiency Eat. It is then released into our bloodstream and supplies our organs, including our brain, to go in search of food.
“We already knew that ghrelin appears to be able to cross the blood-brain barrier, but we didn’t know what role it plays in getting to the other side. This work shows for the first time that hippocampal neurons actually use ghrelin receptors to control their activity. We do not yet fully understand this mechanism, but it suggests that other hunger hormones also manage to interact with the brain,” concludes Dr. MacAskill.
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Originally posted 2023-11-29 10:58:29.