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Journal of Clinical Pathology.... 1976
Topics: Afferent Pathways; Efferent Pathways; Humans; Hypothalamus; Neurons; Pituitary Gland
PubMed: 1073162
DOI: 10.1136/jcp.s1-7.1.1 -
Nature Aug 2022Mating and aggression are innate social behaviours that are controlled by subcortical circuits in the extended amygdala and hypothalamus. The bed nucleus of the stria...
Mating and aggression are innate social behaviours that are controlled by subcortical circuits in the extended amygdala and hypothalamus. The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTpr) is a node that receives input encoding sex-specific olfactory cues from the medial amygdala, and which in turn projects to hypothalamic nuclei that control mating (medial preoptic area (MPOA)) and aggression (ventromedial hypothalamus, ventrolateral subdivision (VMHvl)), respectively. Previous studies have demonstrated that male aromatase-positive BNSTpr neurons are required for mounting and attack, and may identify conspecific sex according to their overall level of activity. However, neural representations in BNSTpr, their function and their transformations in the hypothalamus have not been characterized. Here we performed calcium imaging of male BNSTpr neurons during social behaviours. We identify distinct populations of female- versus male-tuned neurons in BNSTpr, with the former outnumbering the latter by around two to one, similar to the medial amygdala and MPOA but opposite to VMHvl, in which male-tuned neurons predominate. Chemogenetic silencing of BNSTpr neurons while imaging MPOA or VMHvl neurons in behaving animals showed, unexpectedly, that the male-dominant sex-tuning bias in VMHvl was inverted to female-dominant whereas a switch from sniff- to mount-selective neurons during mating was attenuated in MPOA. Our data also indicate that BNSTpr neurons are not essential for conspecific sex identification. Rather, they control the transition from appetitive to consummatory phases of male social behaviours by shaping sex- and behaviour-specific neural representations in the hypothalamus.
Topics: Aggression; Amygdala; Animals; Calcium; Female; Hypothalamus; Male; Neurons; Preoptic Area; Sex Characteristics; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Social Behavior
PubMed: 35922505
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05057-6 -
Neuron Mar 2018Rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep are controlled by specific neuronal circuits. Here we show that galanin-expressing GABAergic neurons in the dorsomedial...
Rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep are controlled by specific neuronal circuits. Here we show that galanin-expressing GABAergic neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) comprise separate subpopulations with opposing effects on REM versus NREM sleep. Microendoscopic calcium imaging revealed diverse sleep-wake activity of DMH GABAergic neurons, but the galanin-expressing subset falls into two distinct groups, either selectively activated (REM-on) or suppressed (REM-off) during REM sleep. Retrogradely labeled, preoptic area (POA)-projecting galaninergic neurons are REM-off, whereas the raphe pallidus (RPA)-projecting neurons are primarily REM-on. Bidirectional optogenetic manipulations showed that the POA-projecting neurons promote NREM sleep and suppress REM sleep, while the RPA-projecting neurons have the opposite effects. Thus, REM/NREM switch is regulated antagonistically by DMH galaninergic neurons with intermingled cell bodies but distinct axon projections.
Topics: Animals; Female; Hypothalamus; Male; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Optogenetics; Random Allocation; Sleep, REM; Sleep, Slow-Wave
PubMed: 29478915
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2018.02.005 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2023Histamine is a biogenic amine that acts as a neuromodulator within the brain. In the hypothalamus, histaminergic signaling contributes to the regulation of numerous... (Review)
Review
Histamine is a biogenic amine that acts as a neuromodulator within the brain. In the hypothalamus, histaminergic signaling contributes to the regulation of numerous physiological and homeostatic processes, including the regulation of energy balance. Histaminergic neurons project extensively throughout the hypothalamus and two histamine receptors (H1R, H3R) are strongly expressed in key hypothalamic nuclei known to regulate energy homeostasis, including the paraventricular (PVH), ventromedial (VMH), dorsomedial (DMH), and arcuate (ARC) nuclei. The activation of different histamine receptors is associated with differential effects on neuronal activity, mediated by their different G protein-coupling. Consequently, activation of H1R has opposing effects on food intake to that of H3R: H1R activation suppresses food intake, while H3R activation mediates an orexigenic response. The central histaminergic system has been implicated in atypical antipsychotic-induced weight gain and has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of obesity. It has also been demonstrated to interact with other major regulators of energy homeostasis, including the central melanocortin system and the adipose-derived hormone leptin. However, the exact mechanisms by which the histaminergic system contributes to the modification of these satiety signals remain underexplored. The present review focuses on recent advances in our understanding of the central histaminergic system's role in regulating feeding and highlights unanswered questions remaining in our knowledge of the functionality of this system.
Topics: Humans; Hypothalamus; Obesity; Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus; Brain; Eating
PubMed: 37448468
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1202089 -
Cell Jan 2023The hypothalamus regulates innate social behaviors, including mating and aggression. These behaviors can be evoked by optogenetic stimulation of specific neuronal...
The hypothalamus regulates innate social behaviors, including mating and aggression. These behaviors can be evoked by optogenetic stimulation of specific neuronal subpopulations within MPOA and VMHvl, respectively. Here, we perform dynamical systems modeling of population neuronal activity in these nuclei during social behaviors. In VMHvl, unsupervised analysis identified a dominant dimension of neural activity with a large time constant (>50 s), generating an approximate line attractor in neural state space. Progression of the neural trajectory along this attractor was correlated with an escalation of agonistic behavior, suggesting that it may encode a scalable state of aggressiveness. Consistent with this, individual differences in the magnitude of the integration dimension time constant were strongly correlated with differences in aggressiveness. In contrast, approximate line attractors were not observed in MPOA during mating; instead, neurons with fast dynamics were tuned to specific actions. Thus, different hypothalamic nuclei employ distinct neural population codes to represent similar social behaviors.
Topics: Animals; Sexual Behavior, Animal; Ventromedial Hypothalamic Nucleus; Hypothalamus; Aggression; Social Behavior
PubMed: 36608653
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.11.027 -
Experimental Physiology Dec 2016What is the topic of this review? Both branches of the autonomic nervous system are involved in the regulation of the inflammatory response. We explore how the... (Review)
Review
What is the topic of this review? Both branches of the autonomic nervous system are involved in the regulation of the inflammatory response. We explore how the hypothalamus may influence this process. What advances does it highlight? We analyse how a lipopolysaccharide signal is transmitted to the brain and which areas participate in the response of the brain to lipopolysaccharide. Recent studies show that the hypothalamus can influence the inflammatory response by modifying the autonomic output. The biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, is integrated into this circuit, putting a time stamp on the intensity of the inflammatory response. The brain is responsible for maintaining homeostasis of the organism, constantly adjusting its output via hormones and the autonomic nervous system to reach an optimal setting in every compartment of the body. Also, the immune system is under strong control of the brain. Apart from the conventional systemic responses evoked by the brain during inflammation, such as hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and the induction of sickness behaviour, the autonomic nervous system is now recognized to exert regulatory effects on the inflammatory response. Both branches of the autonomic nervous system are proposed to influence the inflammatory process. Here, we focus on those areas of the brain that might be involved in sensing inflammatory stimuli, followed by how that sensing could change the output of the autonomic nervous system in order to regulate the inflammatory response. Finally, we will discuss how the defenses of the body against a lipopolysaccharide challenge are organized by the hypothalamus.
Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Humans; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Hypothalamus; Immune System; Inflammation
PubMed: 27753158
DOI: 10.1113/EP085560 -
Trends in Cognitive Sciences Jan 2024Despite the physiological complexity of the hypothalamus, its role is typically restricted to initiation or cessation of innate behaviors. For example, theories of... (Review)
Review
Despite the physiological complexity of the hypothalamus, its role is typically restricted to initiation or cessation of innate behaviors. For example, theories of lateral hypothalamus argue that it is a switch to turn feeding 'on' and 'off' as dictated by higher-order structures that render when feeding is appropriate. However, recent data demonstrate that the lateral hypothalamus is critical for learning about food-related cues. Furthermore, the lateral hypothalamus opposes learning about information that is neutral or distal to food. This reveals the lateral hypothalamus as a unique arbitrator of learning capable of shifting behavior toward or away from important events. This has relevance for disorders characterized by changes in this balance, including addiction and schizophrenia. Generally, this suggests that hypothalamic function is more complex than increasing or decreasing innate behaviors.
Topics: Humans; Hypothalamic Area, Lateral; Hypothalamus; Learning; Cues; Cognition; Reward
PubMed: 37758590
DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2023.08.019 -
International Journal of Molecular... Dec 2021Obesity has now reached pandemic proportions and represents a major socioeconomic and health problem in our societies [...].
Obesity has now reached pandemic proportions and represents a major socioeconomic and health problem in our societies [...].
Topics: Energy Metabolism; Humans; Hypothalamus; Obesity
PubMed: 34948254
DOI: 10.3390/ijms222413459 -
Development (Cambridge, England) May 2017The hypothalamus, which regulates fundamental aspects of physiological homeostasis and behavior, is a brain region that exhibits highly conserved anatomy across... (Review)
Review
The hypothalamus, which regulates fundamental aspects of physiological homeostasis and behavior, is a brain region that exhibits highly conserved anatomy across vertebrate species. Its development involves conserved basic mechanisms of induction and patterning, combined with a more plastic process of neuronal fate specification, to produce brain circuits that mediate physiology and behavior according to the needs of each species. Here, we review the factors involved in the induction, patterning and neuronal differentiation of the hypothalamus, highlighting recent evidence that illustrates how changes in Wnt/β-catenin signaling during development may lead to species-specific form and function of this important brain structure.
Topics: Animals; Body Patterning; Humans; Hypothalamus; Models, Biological; Neurogenesis; Neuroglia; Signal Transduction
PubMed: 28465334
DOI: 10.1242/dev.139055 -
Frontiers in Endocrinology 2020The pituitary is a master endocrine gland that developed early in vertebrate evolution and therefore exists in all modern vertebrate classes. The last decade has... (Review)
Review
The pituitary is a master endocrine gland that developed early in vertebrate evolution and therefore exists in all modern vertebrate classes. The last decade has transformed our view of this key organ. Traditionally, the pituitary has been viewed as a randomly organized collection of cells that respond to hypothalamic stimuli by secreting their content. However, recent studies have established that pituitary cells are organized in tightly wired large-scale networks that communicate with each other in both homo and heterotypic manners, allowing the gland to quickly adapt to changing physiological demands. These networks functionally decode and integrate the hypothalamic and systemic stimuli and serve to optimize the pituitary output into the generation of physiologically meaningful hormone pulses. The development of 3D imaging methods and transgenic models have allowed us to expand the research of functional pituitary networks into several vertebrate classes. Here we review the establishment of pituitary cell networks throughout vertebrate evolution and highlight the main perspectives and future directions needed to decipher the way by which pituitary networks serve to generate hormone pulses in vertebrates.
Topics: Animals; Endocrine Cells; Gonadotrophs; Humans; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System; Hypothalamus; Metabolic Networks and Pathways; Phylogeny; Pituitary Gland; Vertebrates
PubMed: 33584547
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.619352