Hypothalamus News and Research

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The Hypothalamus is the area of the brain that controls body temperature, hunger, and thirst.

Tadpole metamorphosis found to be controlled by fat-sensing hormone

When tadpoles are but tadpoles, they're voracious eaters, chomping down all of the plant matter in their paths.

29 Mar 2018

Maternal obesity and androgen excess induce sex-specific anxiety in offspring, study suggests

Maternal obesity and androgen excess induce sex-specific anxiety in the offspring, according to a study on mice by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in The FASEB Journal.

22 Mar 2018

New study identifies the body's 'glucostat'

It is the pancreatic islets that have the overall responsibility for maintaining normal blood glucose levels in our bodies, according to a new study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, USA.

6 Mar 2018

Brain's quality control process holds clues to obesity's roots

Deep in the middle of our heads lies a tiny nub of nerve cells that play a key role in how hungry we feel, how much we eat, and how much weight we gain. Around the clock, they produce a "grandfather" form of several hormones that help us regulate these crucial functions.

20 Feb 2018

Chemist finds how to control blood sugar without usual side effects

Chemist Robert Doyle in the College of Arts and Sciences at Syracuse University has figured out how to control glucose levels in the bloodstream without the usual side effects of nausea, vomiting or malaise.

11 Feb 2018

Dim light may affect your ability to learn and remember, suggests new study

A new study found that prolonged exposure to dim light may alter the brain's structure, and impair an individual’s ability to remember and learn.

6 Feb 2018

Neuroscientists identify 'anxiety cells' in the brain's hippocampus

Do your palms sweat when you walk down a poorly lit street at night? That feeling may be traced to the firing of newly identified "anxiety" cells deep inside your brain, according to new research from neuroscientists at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.

31 Jan 2018

Curcumin could provide meaningful cognitive benefits, study suggests

Lovers of Indian food, give yourselves a second helping: Daily consumption of a certain form of curcumin -- the substance that gives Indian curry its bright color -- improved memory and mood in people with mild, age-related memory loss, according to the results of a study conducted by UCLA researchers.

23 Jan 2018

Researchers discover mutations in a gene related to obesity

Researchers have discovered mutations in a gene related to obesity, offering new treatment possibilities in the fight against the global epidemic.

8 Jan 2018

Findings provide better understanding of thyroid hormones' role in mammalian seasonal changes

Researchers now have a better understanding of the role that thyroid hormones, the tissues that produce them, and the biochemical pathways on which they act have in driving seasonal reproduction in some mammals, and how this new information may help explain seasonal changes in metabolism and mood that affect humans.

21 Dec 2017

Study reveals link between estrogen and infertility

A study published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, may have identified the role of estrogen in problems associated with infertility. The results of the study showed the cause of some undiagnosed infertility problems and enabled various birth control methods.

13 Dec 2017

New findings on brain estrogen may reveal cause of undiagnosed infertility problems

Estrogen produced in the brain is necessary for ovulation in monkeys, according to researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who have upended the traditional understanding of the hormonal cascade that leads to release of an egg from the ovaries.

12 Dec 2017

Scientists pinpoint new wake-promoting neurons in the brain

Scientists have identified an additional group of cells in the brain responsible for keeping us awake: the supramammillary nucleus, part of the caudal hypothalamus.

10 Nov 2017

Tiny microscopes give researchers a peek into neural circuitry of social behavior

Tiny microscopes mounted on mice's heads have given researchers a peek into the neural circuitry of social behavior.

1 Nov 2017

Study shows effects of prenatal BPA exposure at low levels in developing rodent brain

New research from North Carolina State University reveals that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) at levels below those currently considered safe for humans affects gene expression related to sexual differentiation and neurodevelopment in the developing rat brain.

31 Oct 2017

New study reveals novel gene involved in maintaining body weight

A new study published online in The FASEB Journal reveals a novel gene involved in maintaining body weight. Specifically, the study suggests that GTRAP3-18 interacts with pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) in the hypothalamus to regulate food intake and blood glucose levels.

4 Oct 2017

Mother's diet during pregnancy could affect brain reward circuitry of children

Researchers in France found that rats who ate a junk food diet during pregnancy had heavier pups that strongly preferred the taste of fat straight after weaning. While a balanced diet in childhood seemed to reduce the pups' desire for fat, they nevertheless showed altered brain reward circuitry into adulthood.

25 Sep 2017