Topic: paraventricular hypothalamus

Patients with an anxiety disorder often display aberrancies in sensing the internal state of the body. Interoception is activated for example by mild hypercapnia during CO2 inhalation due to homeostatic disturbances of the body eliciting anxiety and even panic-like behaviours across species. Yet, although altered interoception is increasingly recognized as an important component of anxiety disorders, its underlying neural mechanisms remain little understood. Here, we aimed to elucidate whether trait anxiety levels affect the engagement of the anxiety network in response to CO2 challenge. Mice

We live in a microbial world with trillions of microbes in and around us helping to digest food and regulating the immune system. Emerging data also suggest the critical influence of the gut microbiota on the brain impacting on behaviour and mental health. For example, the absence of gut microbes in experimentally derived germ-free mice results in impaired behaviours including reduced or complete lack of social interactions. Conversely, supplementation of deficient gut microbiota with probiotics and/or specific bacterial strains can restore social function. Despite a surge in such correlative

Thermogenesis is a vital physiological process that contributes to maintaining energy homeostasis, metabolic health, and adaptation to environmental changes. Central for metabolic regulation is the hypothalamus, orchestrating a diverse array of neuroendocrine systems. Within this intricate network, the role of thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) neurons of the hypothalamus is unknown. Our project aimed to delineate TRH populations implicated in modulating brown adipose tissue (BAT)-derived thermogenesis. Employing an exploratory approach utilizing retrograde tracers from BAT, we pinpointed thr