Hypothalamus News and Research

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

Researchers provide first insight into innovative approach for diabetes care

The circadian clock system (from Latin "circa diem", about a day) allows the organisms to anticipate periodical changes of geophysical time, and to adjust to these changes. Nearly all the cells in our body comprise molecular clocks that regulate and synchronize metabolic functions to a 24-hour cycle of day-night changes.

31 Jan 2020

Non-hormonal options are effective in treating menopause symptoms

The classic symptoms of menopause – hot flashes, sleeplessness, and vaginal dryness – have typically been treated with estrogen therapy. Studies published today report that non-hormonal options are effective, too.

24 Jan 2020

Impulsive eating could stem from certain regions of the brain

Weight loss mandates healthy eating and control of impulses when it comes to eating fat rich and processed foods. The actual story is quite different, as most persons on a diet have found out the hard way. The smell of food and even thoughts have given rise to binge eating, indulging in excessive food intake that has led to obesity and weight gain.

12 Dec 2019

Specific brain circuit linked to food impulsivity discovered

You're on a diet, but the aroma of popcorn in the movie theater lobby triggers a seemingly irresistible craving.

11 Dec 2019

Birth control pills shrink hypothalamus

Birth control pills have been found to reduce a part of the brain that is associated with controlling the sex drive finds a new study. The study results are being presented as a preview in the annual conference of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

5 Dec 2019

Baylor researchers report creation of an 'epigenetic couch potato' mouse

Why is it that some people love to exercise, and others hate it? Most people would assume it's all due to genetics, but a new Baylor College of Medicine led study in mice shows for the first time that a different molecular level of regulation - epigenetics - plays a key role in determining one's innate drive to exercise.

4 Dec 2019

Key brain region found to be smaller in birth control pill users

Researchers studying the brain found that women taking oral contraceptives, commonly known as birth control pills, had significantly smaller hypothalamus volume, compared to women not taking the pill, according to a new study presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

4 Dec 2019

Study finds key region of the brain is smaller in women who use oral contraceptives

A brain imaging study has shown that the hypothalamus was smaller among women taking oral contraceptives.

4 Dec 2019

Brain receptor that regulates body temperature may also be the key to rapid weight loss

The brain mechanism that enables us to maintain a constant body temperature may also be the key to rapid weight loss, a new study finds.

2 Dec 2019

Pioneering brain chip to fight opioid addiction: first US clinical test

Opioid addiction is among the biggest medical conditions troubling the U.S. today, and is far from reaching a solution. In 2017, it claimed almost 50 deaths per 100,000 in the state of West Virginia – the highest drug-overdose-related death rate in the US. Today, however, there is a gleam of hope from a new trial of an old technology to help fight this battle – a brain-embedded chip to counter opioid-induced cravings in treatment-refractory patients.

6 Nov 2019

New approach to treating high blood pressure

The key to treating blood pressure might lie in people who are “resistant” to developing high blood pressure even when they eat high salt diets, shows new research published in Experimental Physiology.

23 Oct 2019

Rare sex-specific brain cells found in male and female mice

Caltech researchers have discovered rare brain cell types that are unique to male mice and other types that are unique to female mice. These sex-specific cells were found in a region of the brain that governs both aggression and mating behaviors.

17 Oct 2019

Researchers identify neural pathways that underlie hunger-induced changes in taste preferences

Why does everything taste better when we're hungry? According to new findings from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences in Japan, not only does food taste sweeter when our stomachs are rumbling, but bitter food also becomes less difficult to eat--and both effects are moderated by a neural circuit in the hypothalamus.

16 Oct 2019

Rapid progress in brain organoid research prompts ethical debate

A new paper has tried to address the ethical debate surrounding human organoids by evaluating the potential risks of creating “humanized” animals

4 Oct 2019

Penn researchers propose ethical framework that defines brain organoid transplantation

As research involving the transplantation of human "mini-brains"--known as brain organoids--into animals to study disease continues to expand, so do the ethical debates around the practice.

4 Oct 2019

Hyperthyroidism and severe hypothyroidism associated with overall unhealthy status, shorter lifespan

Herein, the authors show, using wild-type and the Pax8 ablated model of hypothyroidism in mice, that hyperthyroidism and severe hypothyroidism are associated with an overall unhealthy status and shorter lifespan.

3 Oct 2019

Love hormone oxytocin linked to hypersexuality

Sex addiction or hypersexual disorder is a behavior characterized by an excessive preoccupation with sexual fantasies, behaviors, or urges that are hard to control, causing negative effects on one’s health and relationships.

25 Sep 2019

Brain activity intensity appears to increase our need for sleep

The intensity of brain activity during the day, notwithstanding how long we've been awake, appears to increase our need for sleep, according to a new UCL study in zebrafish.

16 Sep 2019

Fatty food changes the brain to affect homeostasis and metabolism

While we all know that eating fatty food pushes up our body weight, a new study now shows it also affects the way the brain keeps track of and corrects all metabolic irregularities in the body. Soon after tucking into a high-fat, high-carb meal – as soon as three days later – the hypothalamus shows inflammation.

10 Sep 2019

High-fat diets contribute to irregularities in hypothalamus region of the brain

Much research has pointed to how an unhealthy diet correlates to obesity, but has not explored how diet can bring about neurological changes in the brain.

9 Sep 2019