News Neuroscience

An on-off switch for eating

OUT OF CONTROL  By stimulating neurons with a laser, scientists forced mice to eat, even when the animals were full.

J. Jennings

By Laura Sanders

- More than 2 years ago

By hijacking connections between neurons deep within the brain, scientists forced full mice to keep eating and hungry mice to shun food. By identifying precise groups of cells that cause eating and others that curb it, the results begin to clarify the intricate web of checks and balances in the brain that control feeding.