Hypothalamus News and Research

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

Natural brain rhythms control stress hormone levels and alertness

Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka-led research has found stress-controlling brain cells switch on and off in a steady rhythm about once every hour – even when nothing stressful is happening.

4 Aug 2025

Leptin could offer alternative to insulin for managing type 1 diabetes complication

More than a decade ago, researchers found that an acute complication of type 1 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), can be resolved with the hormone leptin, even in the absence of insulin.

4 Aug 2025

New study shows brain's role in diabetic ketoacidosis

More than a decade ago, researchers found that an acute complication of type 1 diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), can be resolved with the hormone leptin, even in the absence of insulin.

1 Aug 2025

Researchers trace metabolic superpowers of hibernators to shared DNA

Animals that hibernate are incredibly resilient. They can spend months without food or water, muscles refusing to atrophy, body temperature dropping to near freezing as their metabolism and brain activity slow to a crawl.

1 Aug 2025

Synthetic torpor moves closer to real-world medical use

Nature is often the best model for science. For nearly a century, scientists have been trying to recreate the ability of some mammals and birds to survive extreme environmental conditions for brief or extended periods by going into torpor, when their body temperature and metabolic rate drop, allowing them to preserve energy and heat.

1 Aug 2025

Metformin lowers blood sugar by acting on brain pathways

Although metformin has been the go-to medication to manage type 2 diabetes for more than 60 years, researchers still do not have a complete picture of how it works.

31 Jul 2025

Perceived sickness activates real immune responses

Findings indicate the brain's anticipatory response to virtual infections activates immune mechanisms, showcasing the link between neuroscience and immunity.

31 Jul 2025

Study uncovers a specialized gut-brain pathway for glucose sensing

In a groundbreaking study, a research team at KAIST has uncovered a gut-brain circuit that enables the brain to selectively recognize glucose—beyond simply registering total caloric intake.

21 Jul 2025

Shared brain circuit drives opposite mating behaviors in male and female mice

In animals with social structures, the drive to reproduce is a complex process; governed by the brain, it's influenced by both internal cues such as hormones and external factors such as interactions with potential mates.

16 Jul 2025

Ultra-processed foods threaten brain health in kids and teens, review warns

Children, adolescents, and unborn babies exposed to high levels of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) face increased risks of impaired brain development, cognitive deficits, and long-term mental health challenges. The review underscores how UPF-driven changes in reward pathways, nutrient deficits, inflammation, and the gut–brain axis can have lasting impacts across generations.

13 Jul 2025

Unlocking the brain’s language to fight Alzheimer’s

June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. With an estimated 55 million people living with Alzheimer's Disease and other forms of dementia worldwide, advancing understanding of these complex diseases is critical to finding new treatments, and potentially, cures.

7 Jul 2025

A revolutionary drug for extreme hunger offers clues to obesity’s complexity

Ali Foley Shenk still remembers the panic when her 10-year-old son, Dean, finished a 20-ounce box of raisins in the seconds the cupboard was left unlocked. They rushed to the emergency room, fearing a dangerous bowel impaction.

16 Jun 2025

Memory neurons in rats may explain why forgetting meals leads to overeating

Researchers identify "meal memory" neurons in laboratory rats that could explain why forgetting lunch leads to overeating.

11 Jun 2025

Stress disrupts sleep and memory through a neural pathway in male mice

Stress worsens sleep quality and can impair memory. Shinjae Chung, from the University of Pennsylvania, led a study to explore a neural pathway in male mice that stress may influence to cause sleep and memory disturbances.

9 Jun 2025

Obesity associated with anxiety and cognitive impairment in mice

With rates of obesity and anxiety both on the rise-especially among younger Americans-new research suggests that the two conditions may be connected through interactions between the gut and the brain.

1 Jun 2025

MRI scans reveal why young women face higher risk for eating disorders

Advanced high-field MRI reveals distinct microstructural changes in hypothalamic subregions of young women with anorexia nervosa and obesity. These alterations may underlie increased vulnerability to eating disorders and point toward new neurobiological treatment targets.

26 May 2025

UArizona researchers uncover new way to ease postoperative pain in women

University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers identified a potential way to reduce female post-operative pain by inhibiting pituitary prolactin generated by pre-operative stress.

20 May 2025

Gut bacteria and genes jointly shape obesity risk, review reveals hidden links

Researchers examined the heritability of body mass index (BMI), highlighting that genetics and the gut microbiome both play major roles in obesity risk. The review emphasizes that maternal microbiome transmission and family environment may help explain “missing heritability” beyond known genetic factors.

20 May 2025

Genetic variations in Prader-Willi syndrome offer key insights into autism and psychosis

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Invited Expert Review, researchers from the University of Haifa have synthesized cutting-edge findings on Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), revealing how this complex neurodevelopmental disorder serves as a critical model for understanding the interplay between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and psychotic spectrum disorders (PSD).

20 May 2025

Targeting brain neurons to successfully treat type 2 diabetes

Successfully treating type 2 diabetes may involve focusing on brain neurons, rather than simply concentrating on obesity or insulin resistance, according to a study published today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

15 May 2025