Grant: Project Grant

The brain is an important organ that coordinates many physiological and behavioral processes including the regulation of feeding. Investigating how the brain controls feeding is important for understanding the causes of obesity and for the development of effective treatments for this disease. Our project is interested in determining how specialized groups of brain cells (neurons) interact to regulate food intake. We recently demonstrated an important role of neurons that produce histamine in decreasing normal brain signals associated with fullness. The current project aims to determine how these histaminergic neurons suppress feelings of fullness and if we can block these signals to decrease food intake. We believe this work will greatly enhance our understanding of how the brain functions to regulate food intake and may reveal possible ways to enhance feelings of fullness to decrease food intake. Reductions in food intake can decrease bodyweight and decrease obesity levels. Therefore, this project may reveal new ways of targeting the brain with therapeutics for the treatment of obesity.