eMedicineLive

In humans, high stress levels are often associated with obesity. However, reason behind this association remained largely obscured until now. A new study, by the researchers from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) at the University of Calgary's Faculty of Medicine has finally been able to unravel the mechanism behind high stress levels in mice and increased appetite. Published in the latest issue of the journal “Neuron”, if the findings of the study are found to be applicable to humans too, could explain why stress is linked to obesity.

 

For the research, scientists Jaideep Bains, Ph.D. and Quentin Pittman, Ph.D., examined the neurons in the hypothalamus part of the brains of the mice as it is the part responsible for controlling appetite and is the main region of the brain responsible for the response to stress. They found that in the absence of food, there is a temporary re-wiring of the brain which is a part of stress response. This re-wiring impairs the normal functioning of neurotransmitters which regulate the food intake. As a result, there is an increase in the appetite. If the neurotransmitters are blocked, absence of food does not generate stress response and consequently, there is no enhanced food drive.

 

According to Bains, it is interesting to note that an increased appetite is not a result of lack of essential nutrients. Rather, it is because of the stress induced by absence of food. If these findings hold true for humans, it could explain stress induced obesity. In the absence of food, the stress response gets activated leading to an increase in appetite. This, in turn, could lead to obesity. The study underscores the importance of food for our nervous system. The absence of food can affect the wiring of our brain and alter the way neurons communicate with each other. The findings of the study will also influence the different therapies used to manipulate the intake of food in obese individuals.

 

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