Scientists in the lab of HWNI member Stephan Lammel have discovered a brain mechanism that explains why mice fed a chronic high-fat diet show less interest in high-calorie foods compared to mice who were fed a normal diet. Their research, published in Nature, shows that the peptide neurotensin is reduced in mice who were fed a high-fat diet and became obese, in a brain area that interacts with the dopamine network, which is important for reward and motivation. This reduction lowered their interest in high-calorie foods, but it was restored when neurotensin was increased. The mice also actually lost weight when neurotensin was increased, indicating that this brain pathway — and pleasure in eating — is important for weight regulation.
Lammel lab postdoctoral fellow Neta Gazit Shimoni and Berkeley Neuroscience PhD alum Amanda Tose are co-first authors on the study. Read more from UC Berkeley News.