Hypothalamus News and Research

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

The gut is not just digestive and new evidence shows it actively controls brain function

This comprehensive review synthesizes a decade of human and animal research to explain how the gut and brain communicate through hormonal, neural, immune, and microbial pathways. It highlights how disruptions in these pathways contribute to gastrointestinal, metabolic, and neurological disorders, and how modern therapies are beginning to exploit gut–brain signaling for clinical benefit.

6 Jan 2026

Altered stress signaling helps explain relapse in alcohol use disorder

A new study by Scripps Research reveals that alcohol dependence disrupts two signaling pathways in a stress-related part of the brain-and offers insights on developing drugs to treat this condition.

22 Dec 2025

Breast cancer disrupts stress hormone rhythms in the brain

"The brain is an exquisite sensor of what's going on in your body," says Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Jeremy Borniger. "But it requires balance. Neurons need to be active or inactive at the right times. If that rhythm goes out of sync even a little bit, it can change the function of the entire brain."

15 Dec 2025

Brain recordings reveal why food cravings return despite tirzepatide

Researchers investigate the effects of tirzepatide on food preoccupation by influencing the brain’s mesolimbic circuitry.

1 Dec 2025

Study finds GLP-1 drugs improve strength and reverse aging biology in mice

Researchers showed that GLP-1 receptor agonism counteracts aging across multiple organs in mice, improving strength and reversing molecular aging signatures without meaningful effects on body weight. These benefits depended largely on hypothalamic GLP-1R signaling and closely mirrored the anti-aging patterns produced by rapamycin.

23 Nov 2025

Brain circuit identified as key to repetitive and compulsive behaviors in mice

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have identified a brain circuit that can drive repetitive and compulsive behaviors in mice, even when natural rewards such as food or social contact are available.

22 Nov 2025

Evaluating the role of stereotactic radiosurgery in craniopharyngioma management

Craniopharyngiomas account for 2–5% of all primary brain tumors and 5–10% of pediatric brain tumors. Despite their benign histology, their location near the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and optic pathways complicates management.

19 Nov 2025

Brain recordings reveal short-lived effects of tirzepatide on food cravings

A rare glimpse into the brain activity of a patient with obesity and loss of control eating on tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro and Zepbound, revealed that the medication suppresses signaling in the brain's "reward center" thought to be involved in food noise – but only temporarily.

17 Nov 2025

Sensory effects of flavanols trigger physiological responses in the brain

Astringency is a dry, puckering, rough, or sandpapery sensation in the mouth caused by plant-derived polyphenols.

31 Oct 2025

Aligning your body clock may protect your heart and metabolism, says AHA

A new American Heart Association scientific statement highlights how maintaining circadian health through regular sleep, light exposure, meal timing, and exercise may reduce cardiometabolic disease risk. Disrupting these daily rhythms can impair glucose regulation, blood pressure, and cardiovascular function.

29 Oct 2025

Circadian rhythm disruptions may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

As modern lifestyles increasingly challenge the body's natural circadian rhythm, the American Heart Association is spotlighting the potential health consequences of regular disruptions to our body's internal clock with a new scientific statement published today in its flagship journal Circulation.

28 Oct 2025

Hunger and hormones drive aggression in mice

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found that hunger can make virgin female mice aggressive towards pups, but only in certain hormonal states.

22 Oct 2025

Understanding the neural mechanisms behind food choices

Feeding in mammals is controlled by a complex neural system. Although several key neural pathways related to total calorie intake have been extensively studied, it is still unclear how food choices are regulated and how they influence overall feeding behavior.

22 Oct 2025

Researchers discover how a brain circuit allows eating despite anxiety

How do mammals manage to eat in situations that cause anxiety, step into exposed spaces, or slow down when anxiety drives them to keep moving? A new study pinpoints a leptin-sensitive circuit in the lateral hypothalamus that helps to overcome anxiety to perform essential behaviors such as exploring, feeding, and limiting maladaptive hyperactivity.

21 Oct 2025

Maternal PFAS levels can predict children's brain structural and functional outcomes

Researchers from the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital, Finland, and örebro University, Sweden, have discovered that the levels of PFAS in mothers' blood during pregnancy is associated with their children's brain structure and function.

13 Oct 2025

New brain circuit discovery offers hope for chronic pain relief

Acute or short-lived pain, despite its bad reputation, is usually a lifesaver. It acts as a transient negative sensory experience that helps us avoid danger.

8 Oct 2025

Researchers provide new insights into how exercise helps lose weight

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine and collaborating institutions provide new insights into how exercise helps lose weight.

16 Sep 2025