Hypothalamus News and Research

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

Sense of smell may play key role in how the body deals with calories

Our sense of smell is key to the enjoyment of food, so it may be no surprise that in experiments at the University of California, Berkeley, obese mice who lost their sense of smell also lost weight.

5 Jul 2017

UA researcher’s findings on estrogen may lead to promising treatment for hot flashes

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Naomi Rance was at work when she experienced her first hot flash. Rance, a physician and researcher at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson, took note.

29 Jun 2017

Research provides insights into how light may interact with the brain to affect sleep

Humans are diurnal animals, meaning that we usually sleep at night and are awake during the day, due at least in part to light or the lack thereof. Light is known to affect sleep indirectly by entraining--modifying the length of--our circadian rhythms and also rapidly and directly due to a phenomenon known as masking.

23 Jun 2017

Insulin in the brain may help regulate eating behavior and facilitate weight loss, study shows

Eating behavior and the subjective feeling of hunger are regulated by a variety of hormones. Here a key role is played by the hormone insulin because it is not only active in the body, but also in the brain.

23 Jun 2017

Japanese scientists show how male pheromone enhances female sexual behavior in mice

A study by a group of Japanese scientists showed how a male pheromone in mice enhances sexual behaviors in females--and how it may enhance a different behavior, aggression, in males -- by identifying distinct neural circuits and neurons that generate a particular behavioral response to specific chemical signals.

22 Jun 2017

Long-distance brain connections can target, stimulate discrete pools of stem cells

Stem cells persist in the adult mammalian brain and generate new neurons throughout life. A research group at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel reports in the current issue of "Science" that long-distance brain connections can target discrete pools of stem cells in their niche and stimulate them to divide and produce specific subtypes of olfactory bulb neurons

16 Jun 2017

Scientists show how brain circuits govern hunger and cravings

The urge to satisfy hunger is a primal one, but – as any dieter knows – choices about when and what to eat can be influenced by cues in the environment, not just how long it's been since breakfast.

14 Jun 2017

Research reveals link between POMC neurons and release of insulin by the pancreas

The brain is key in the regulation of appetite, body weight and metabolism. Specifically, there is a small group of hypothalamus neurons, called POMC, that detect and integrate signals that inform on the energy state of the organism and activate the appropriate physiological responses.

8 Jun 2017

New study establishes link between prenatal stress and onset of eating disorders

Stress affects the body and can trigger illness -- from psychiatric disorders to heart disease. Humans are exposed to stress at different intensities throughout life -- as children, in adolescence, and in old age. But when is the impact of stress on our systems most powerful? Many researchers maintain that the critical effect occurs prenatally, inside the womb.

1 Jun 2017

Cluster headaches: searching for effective therapies

Cluster headaches are probably the most painful types of pain a human can suffer and it is for no small reason that this condition is also sometimes referred to as suicide headache.

25 May 2017

Mice study may help explain why dieting can be inefficient way to lose weight

A study carried out in mice may help explain why dieting can be an inefficient way to lose weight: key brain cells act as a trigger to prevent us burning calories when food is scarce.

23 May 2017

UAB professor receives $1.5 million grant to explore links between circadian fluctuations and glaucoma

Brian Samuels, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Ophthalmology, has received a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Eye Institute to explore the links between circadian fluctuations and glaucoma. This is Samuels' first R01 grant.

22 May 2017

Newly discovered molecule plays central role in appetite control mechanisms

A newly discovered molecule increases appetite during fasting -- and decreases it during gorging. The neuron-exciting protein, named NPGL - apparently aims to maintain body mass at a constant, come feast or famine. An evolutionary masterstroke, but not great news for those looking to trim down -- or beef up for the summer.

28 Apr 2017

Study finds link between circadian variations in body temperature and arousal in brain-injured patients

For people with severe brain injuries, researchers have found that the rhythm of daily fluctuations in body temperature is related to their level of consciousness, according to a preliminary study published in the April 19, 2017, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

20 Apr 2017

New study shows big differences in tissue gene expression between male and female pigeons

In experimental research, scientists tend to assume that -- unless they are looking specifically at reproduction or sexual behavior -- male and female animals are alike, and mostly use males.

18 Apr 2017

Endocrine Society releases new guideline to help diagnose and treat hypothalamic amenorrhea

Female athletes and women who have eating disorders are prone to developing a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhea that causes them to stop menstruating. The Endocrine Society today issued a Clinical Practice Guideline advising healthcare providers on ways to diagnose and treat this condition.

22 Mar 2017

Hypothalamus News and Research

Further Reading

Sense of smell may play key role in how the body deals with calories

UA researcher’s findings on estrogen may lead to promising treatment for hot flashes

Research provides insights into how light may interact with the brain to affect sleep

Insulin in the brain may help regulate eating behavior and facilitate weight loss, study shows

Japanese scientists show how male pheromone enhances female sexual behavior in mice

Long-distance brain connections can target, stimulate discrete pools of stem cells

Scientists show how brain circuits govern hunger and cravings

Research reveals link between POMC neurons and release of insulin by the pancreas

New study establishes link between prenatal stress and onset of eating disorders

Cluster headaches: searching for effective therapies

Mice study may help explain why dieting can be inefficient way to lose weight

UAB professor receives $1.5 million grant to explore links between circadian fluctuations and glaucoma

Newly discovered molecule plays central role in appetite control mechanisms

Study finds link between circadian variations in body temperature and arousal in brain-injured patients

New study shows big differences in tissue gene expression between male and female pigeons

Endocrine Society releases new guideline to help diagnose and treat hypothalamic amenorrhea

Fat cells take over production of uridine from liver during fasting

Electroacupuncture triggers neurological mechanism to promote tissue repair and relieve pain, study shows

Hormone secreted by bone cells can suppress appetite, mice study reveals

BIDMC review focuses on neural circuitry of wakefulness and sleep

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

Advancing Intracellular Delivery with LumiPore®

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