Scientists Discover Peptide that Impacts the Brain Reduces the Urge to Eat

There may be a way to cut back on the urge to eat, which could help combat obesity. Scientists have discovered a peptide and hormone that when administered to a specific area of the brain, may reduce the desire for food.

Obesity impacts more than 78 million Americans. This condition can increase a person's risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure. There are also disorders associated with obesity, such as binge-eating disorder, which is characterized by period of excessive uncontrolled consumption of food followed by uncomfortable fullness and feelings of self-disgust.

In order to better understand how best to counteract these conditions, the researchers used an experimental model. They found that when administering pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP), a peptide and hormone produced by neurons, in a specific area of the brain called the central amygdala, it reduced the intake of food and led to weight loss.

PACAP is known for its food intake and body weight effects in the hypothalamus. However, this is the first time that scientists have witnessed its effects in the amygdala, which is a region of the brain outside the hypothalamus.

"The PACAP system may hypothetically be the target of medications to treat not only obesity but also binge-eating, a disease characterized by excessive, uncontrollable consumption of food within brief periods of time," said Pietro Cottone, co-author of the new study, in a news release.

The researchers also found that PACAP effects on food intake and body weight were dependent on another brain factor: the growth-hormone called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). The effects of PACAP on food intake were absent when it was given with another drug that blocks BDNF signaling. This suggests that PACAP acts through BDNF.

The findings could be important for understanding new ways to treat obesity. It could also lead to new therapies using the PACAP system, which could be important when it comes to combating eating disorders.

The findings are published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.

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