High on food： the interaction between the neural circuits for feeding and for reward

Hunger, mostly initiated by a deficiency in energy, induces food seeking and intake. However, the drive toward food is not only regulated by physiological needs, but is motivated by the pleasure derived from ingestion of food, in particular palatable foods. Therefore, feeding is viewed as an adaptive motivated behavior that involves integrated communication between homeostatic feeding circuits and reward circuits. The initiation and termination of a feeding episode are instructed by a variety of neuronal signals, and maladaptive plasticity in almost any component of the network may lead to the development of pathological eating disorders. In this review we will summarize the latest understanding of how the feeding circuits and reward circuits in the brain interact. We will emphasize communication between the hypothalamus and the mesolimbic dopamine system and highlight complexities, discrepancies, open questions and future directions for the field.

研究神经胶质细胞的新兴技术

大脑的发育、生理功能和病理与神经元和不同类型的神经胶质细胞(如星形胶质细胞、小胶质细胞、少突胶质细胞和少突胶质细胞的前体细胞等)之间的相互作用密切相关。研究脑功能及其功能障碍,除了神经元之外,还需要对不同类型的神经胶质细胞进行研究。近年来,多项技术突破使“神经胶质科学家”能够解决新的具有挑战性的生物学问题。这些技术发展使得以中/高含量工作流研究特定细胞类型的作用成为可能,并在保存完好的环境中对其相互作用进行精细的分析。本综述阐明了几种可能揭示神经胶质细胞在特定脑功能或疾病中作用的尖端实验方法。这些实验方法包括高级细胞培养,诱导多能干细胞(iPSC)衍生的人神经胶质细胞,病毒载体,原位胶质细胞成像,光学遗传学和化学遗传学方法,以及高内涵分子分析。本文还阐述了某些技术的临床转化,通过特定的脑成像方法以监控患者的神经胶质细胞。本文亦讨论了每种技术的优点,缺陷和未来发展,并提供了选定的示例以说明现在如何可以解决特定的“胶质生物学”问题。