Victor Jouque

Energy balance and obesity, Neurocentre Magendie

Title

Beyond satiety: new roles for POMC neurons in feeding

Abstract

Eating is a process essential for life. Therefore, powerful brain mechanisms have evolved to allow not only the matching of the organism’s energy needs with energy intake, but also the recognition of food rich in calories to guarantee survival under variable environmental food sources. In this context, neuronal circuits classically aiming at integrating information about the organism’s energy status must interact with networks regulating the rewarding aspect of food intake. Little is known about how such communication is set in place and the neuronal substrates underlying this phenomenon. Hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons are classically viewed as the mediators of satiety by the release of a-MSH in response to metabolic and hormonal cues. However, recent evidence demonstrates that POMC neurons are highly heterogeneous, can stimulate feeding under specific conditions, and become active before food consumption, therefore challenging the traditional view of their satietogenic function. Here, we provide new insights on the implication of hypothalamic POMC neurons in decoding food caloric value.