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Lecture

Hypothalamus Regulation: Agouti and Food Intake

In course

BIO-105: Cellular biology and biochemistry for engineers

Basic course in biochemistry as well as cellular and molecular biology for non-life science students enrolling at the Master or PhD thesis level from various engineering disciplines. It reviews essential notions necessary for a training in biology-related ...

Description

This lecture discusses the role of the hypothalamus in regulating food intake through the interaction of different molecules such as Agouti and a-MSH. It covers the impact of mutations in receptors like Mc4R on food intake and obesity.

Instructor

Romain Zufferey

Official source

Related concepts (13)

Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus () is a part of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and is part of the limbic system. In the terminology of neuroanatomy, it forms the ventral part of the diencephalon. All vertebrate brains contain a hypothalamus. In humans, it is the size of an almond.

Obesity

Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it negatively affects health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's weight divided by the square of the person's height—is over 30kg/m2; the range 25kg/m2 is defined as overweight. Some East Asian countries use lower values to calculate obesity.

Paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus

The paraventricular nucleus (PVN, PVA, or PVH) is a nucleus in the hypothalamus. Anatomically, it is adjacent to the third ventricle and many of its neurons project to the posterior pituitary. These projecting neurons secrete oxytocin and a smaller amount of vasopressin, otherwise the nucleus also secretes corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH). CRH and TRH are secreted into the hypophyseal portal system and act on different targets neurons in the anterior pituitary.

Arcuate nucleus

The arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (also known as ARH, ARC, or infundibular nucleus) is an aggregation of neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus, adjacent to the third ventricle and the median eminence. The arcuate nucleus includes several important and diverse populations of neurons that help mediate different neuroendocrine and physiological functions, including neuroendocrine neurons, centrally projecting neurons, and astrocytes.

Ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus

The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN, VMH or ventromedial hypothalamus) is a nucleus of the hypothalamus. In 2007, Kurrasch et al. found that the ventromedial hypothalamus is a distinct morphological nucleus involved in terminating hunger, fear, thermoregulation, and sexual activity. This nuclear region is involved in the recognition of the feeling of fullness. It has four subdivisions: Anterior (VMHa) Dorsomedial (VMHdm) Ventrolateral (VMHvl) Central (VMHc) These subdivisions differ anatomically, neurochemically, and behaviorally.

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