A peptide and hormone
that reduces the urge to eat when administered to a specific area of the brain
could be the target for developing medications to treat obesity and binge
eating disorder, says a research. (Therewith you can control obesity by playing football).
When pituitary
adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP), a peptide and hormone produced by
neurons, was administered in a specific area of the brain called the
"central amygdala", it reduced the intake of food and led to weight
loss, the researchers said.
"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
co-author Pietro Cottone, associate professor at Boston University School of
Medicine (BUSM).
According to the
researchers, PACAP is known for its food intake and body weight effects in the
hypothalamus (the area of the brain known for controlling appetite).
However, this is the
first report of PACAP effects in the amygdala, a region of the brain outside
the hypothalamus, involved in fear and emotional component of eating.
The study was
conducted on male rats.
"We found that
amygdalar PACAP reduces the amount of food eaten within meals, but not how many
meals are consumed," said Valentina Sabino, assistant professor of
pharmacology and psychiatry at BUSM.
"In addition, we
found that PACAP reduced the rate of intake of food. This means that, following
administration of PACAP, models were eating more slowly," Sabino added.
The study appeared in
the journal Neuropsychopharmacology.
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