Topic: energy expenditure

The dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) has been studied extensively using effort-based decision-making (EBDM) paradigms and has been shown to track effort costs. However, it remains unclear whether the dACC encodes objective measures of effort, such as energy expenditure, or subjective perceptions of effort. Further, prior EBDM research in humans has focused on artificial, seated tasks like gripping hand dynamometers, which 1) do not accurately reflect real-world effort demands and 2) are limited by fMRI's temporal resolution, making it difficult to link neural activity to behavior. To

The preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus has garnered attention regarding its pivotal role in energy balance control and thermoregulation. Activation or inhibition of specific POA neurons has been shown to affect body temperature, locomotor activity and energy expenditure. To gain novel insights into this regulatory mechanism, we have conducted a comprehensive analysis of a distinct neuronal cluster within the POA that express the neuropeptide prepronociceptin (PNOC). Using chemogenetic techniques, we selectively activated PNOC(POA) neurons of mice and observed a significant reduction in br