Neuron Signaling in Metabolic Regulation, 1st Edition

This book focuses on neuron signaling in the regulation of metabolism and body weight, and especially on methods used in these studies. Obesity and related metabolic syndromes have reached epidemic status, but still are no effective strategies for prevention and treatment. Body weight homeostasis is maintained by balanced food intake and energy expenditure, both of which are under the control of brain neurons. In the recent years, significant progress has been made in identifying specific neurons, neural pathways, and non-neuron cells in feeding regulation, as well as in delineating autonomic nervous systems targeting peripheral metabolic tissues in the regulation of energy expenditure and metabolism. This book reviews recent progress on important neuron signaling for body weight and metabolic regulation and the state-of-the-art methods that has been applied in this field, ranging from animal models with neuron-specific manipulations, pharmacology, optogenetics, in vivo Ca2+ imaging, and viral tracing. Readers will be exposed to latest research frontiers on neuron regulation of metabolism.

Key Features

• Explores the role signaling between neurons plays with respect to metabolism
• Documents how neurotransmitters affect the regulation of feeding
• Describes various methods and technologies used to study the neuronal control of metabolism
• Includes contributions from an international team of leading researchers.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Regulation of energy balance by hypothalamic cAMP-related signaling

Chapter 2

Brain Melanocortins Regulate Weight in Animals and Humans

Chapter 3

Neurotransmitter co-transmission in brain control of feeding and body weight

Chapter 4

Brain Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Influence on Feeding Behavior

Chapter 5

Dorsomedial hypothalamic regulation of energy balance and glucose homeostasis: lessons from adeno-associated virus-mediated gene manipulation

Chapter 6

The ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus in the regulation of energy homeostasis

Chapter 7

Current Genetic Techniques Available for Investigating Feeding Behavior and the Control of Energy Balance

Chapter 8

Central action of thyroid hormone on energy metabolism

Chapter 9

Oxytocinergic regulation of energy balance

Chapter 10

Lessons learned about metabolism from traditional and novel tools to study structure and function of the vagus nerve

Chapter 11

Neuronal regulation of adipose tissue biology

Chapter 12

Sex Differences in Feeding Regulated by Estrogen: Crosstalk between Dopaminergic Reward Circuitry and Adiposity Signals

Chapter 13

High Throughput Evaluation of Metabolic Activities Using Reverse Phase Protein Array (RPPA) Technology