Ghrelin, the hunger hormone produced in the intestines, directly changes the functioning of the decision-making area of the brain. A study by scientists from University College London (UCL) was published in the journal Neuron.
Biologists conducted an experiment on mice: they were placed in a room with food. At the same time, brain function was visualized in real time. All animals became interested in food, but only hungry individuals began to eat.
Scientists found that activity in the ventral hippocampus increases as animals approach food, and this activity prevents the animal from eating if it is full. This region plays an important role in decision making. If the mouse was hungry, there was less neural activity in that area, so the hippocampus no longer suppressed the animal’s desire to eat.
Researchers found that the level of ghrelin hormone increased in the blood of fasting mice. They then removed ghrelin receptors from nerve cells in the mouse brain, making them insensitive to the hormone. This forced the animals to eat even if there was no hunger.
Previous studies have shown that the hippocampus of animals, including primates, has ghrelin receptors. The scientists’ discovery showed that the hunger hormone can cross the blood-brain barrier (the boundary between the brain’s circulatory system and the rest of the body) and directly affect the brain. Humans likely have similar mechanisms to regulate hunger, so the study will help better understand eating disorders in humans.
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