Brain regulation of feeding behaviour through mitochondria fission (360G-Wellcome-212528_Z_18_Z)

Obesity causes brain insulin resistance and prevents the brain from regulating metabolic responses, maintaining energy balance and controlling the nutritional status of an individual. Restoring the brain’s ability to modulate metabolic functions could be an important intervention to prevent the negative outcomes of obesity and diabetes. The Dorsal Vagal Complex (DVC) in the brainstem senses insulin to regulate glucose metabolism, food intake and body weight in rodents. Three days of high-fat diet feeding is sufficient to completely disrupt the insulin response in the DVC, thus causing an increase in blood glucose levels and excessive eating. Recently, I discovered that increased mitochondria fission and ER stress in the DVC can cause insulin resistance and affect the ability of the DVC to regulate blood glucose levels. I aim to understand whether increased mitochondria fission in the DVC can affect food intake and body weight in rats. Using in vivo and in vitro experiments, I aim to uncover the mechanism by which changes in mitochondria shape and size affect DVC insulin sensing and eating habits in rodents. This project could lead the way for the development of novel approaches that target the brain to regulate food intake and body weight in obese subjects.