pathway

Mouse sensory neurons are shown in magenta. BH4, the molecule driving chronic pain, is shown in green. Hence, the neurons “in pain” are seen in green/white. Credit: ©Cronin/IMBAFresh hope for pain management from newly identified link between chronic pain and lung cancer in mice.Although it is uncomfortable, pain is an important alarm system that alerts us to tissue damage and prompts us to withdraw from harmful situations. Although pain is expected to subside as injuries heal, many patients experience persistent pain…

Scientists have discovered a brain circuit that controls food intake. By inhibiting this pathway, excessive food intake after fasting and obesity could be significantly reduced.A group of scientists has developed an entirely new approach to treating eating disorders.They showed that a group of nerve cells (so-called AgRP, agouti-related peptide neurons) in the hypothalamus control the release of endogenous lysophospholipids, which in turn control the excitability of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, which stimulates…

Scientists have discovered a new signaling pathway in the brain that controls food intake, and it could eventually give us improved treatments for binge eating – perhaps even a drug that turns off the desire to binge eat at the neural level.  The particular neurons to start with here are agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons. Researchers established that AgRPs are located in the hypothalamus – which regulates numerous metabolic processes – and that they can trigger sensations of hunger when activated.In this research,…

Scientists have identified a neural circuit and a neuropeptide that transmit the sensation known as pleasant touch from the skin to the brain.Similar to itch, pleasant touch is transmitted by a specific neuropeptide and neural circuit.Researchers have identified a neural circuit and a neuropeptide — a chemical messenger that carries signals between nerve cells — that transmit the sensation known as pleasant touch from the skin to the brain. The study was conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine…

Scientists probing the functions of neurons known to play a central role in hunger sensation have discovered a novel signaling pathway by which they influence tendencies to binge eat. The breakthrough raises the prospect of using drugs to suppress this function and temper food cravings, with obese mice treated in this way losing weight as a result.The neurons at the heart of this study are called agouti-related peptide neurons (AgRP), which reside in the brain's hypothalamus and when activated promote feelings of hunger.…

Scientists have long known that touching plants can set off a stress reaction in them – but until now it hasn't been exactly clear how that worked at a molecular level, something that a new study hopes to shed light on.  The researchers behind the study have identified certain genetic keys inside plants that lead to two separate signaling pathways, explaining why plants react so strongly to being touched.Understanding more about how this process works at a fundamental level could help researchers in a variety of…