An estrogen-sensitive hypothalamus-midbrain neural circuit controls thermogenesis and physical activity.

ABSTRACT: Estrogen receptor–α (ERα) expressed by neurons in the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (ERα^vlVMH) regulates body weight in females, but the downstream neural circuits mediating this biology remain largely unknown. Here we identified a neural circuit mediating the metabolic effects of ERα^vlVMH neurons. We found that selective activation of ERα^vlVMH neurons stimulated brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, physical activity, and core temperature and that ERα^vlVMH neurons provide monosynaptic glutamatergic inputs to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Notably, the ERα^vlVMH → DRN circuit responds to changes in ambient temperature and nutritional states. We further showe

SUBMITTER: Ye H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8769556 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature