Reciprocal control of obesity and anxiety-depressive disorder via a GABA and serotonin neural circuit.

ABSTRACT: The high comorbidity between obesity and mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, often exacerbates metabolic and neurological symptoms significantly. However, neural mechanisms that underlie reciprocal control of feeding and mental states are largely elusive. Here we report that melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) neurons located in the dorsal bed nucleus of the stria terminus (dBNST) engage in the regulation of mentally associated weight gain by receiving GABAergic projections from hypothalamic AgRP neurons onto α5-containing GABA_A receptors and serotonergic afferents onto 5-HT₃ receptors. Chronic treatment with a high-fat diet (HFD) significantly blunts the hyperexcitability of AgRP neurons in response to not only hunger but also anxiety and depression-like sti

SUBMITTER: Xia G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8505263 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature