Newly identified brain circuit could be target for treating obesity

Nerve cells that control overeating are distinct from those active in normal feeding, study shows

neurons in the lateral hypothalamus

WELL CONNECTED  Neurons (green) in the lateral hypothalamus connect with those in the ventral tegmental area of mice’s brains to contribute to compulsive sugar consumption. 

Courtesy of Edward Nieh/MIT

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Manipulating specific sets of brain cells can quash a mouse’s overindulgence of sugar.