Hypothalamic astrocytes control systemic glucose metabolism and energy balance.

ABSTRACT: The hypothalamus is key in the control of energy balance. However, strategies targeting hypothalamic neurons have failed to provide viable options to treat most metabolic diseases. Conversely, the role of astrocytes in systemic metabolic control has remained largely unexplored. Here, we show that obesity promotes anatomically restricted remodeling of hypothalamic astrocyte activity. In the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, chemogenetic manipulation of astrocytes results in bidirectional control of neighboring neuron activity, autonomic outflow, glucose metabolism, and energy balance. This process recruits a mechanism involving the astrocytic control of ambient glutamate levels, which becomes defective in obesity. Positive or negative chemogenetic manipulation of PVN astroc

SUBMITTER: Herrera Moro Chao D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9615252 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature