Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 27, Issue 7, Pages 1529-1533Publisher
SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3583-06.2007
Keywords
POMC neurons; orexin; hypocretin; appetite; obesity; arcuate nucleus
Categories
Funding
- Wellcome Trust Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARC) suppress appetite, and lack of POMC-derived peptides or electrical silencing of POMC neurons causes obesity. ARC POMC neurons are surrounded by nerve terminals containing the wakefulness-promoting peptides orexins/hypocretins, but whether orexin affects their electrical activity has not been tested directly. Here we identify living ARC POMC cells in mouse brain slices by targeted expression of green fluorescent protein. Using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, we show that orexin suppresses the spontaneous action potential firing of these neurons. Orexin-induced inhibition involves membrane hyperpolarization, a decreased excitatory synaptic drive, and an increased frequency of GABAergic inputs. Our results suggest a reduction in the electrical activity of ARC POMC neurons, which is mediated by changes in presynaptic inputs, contributes to the appetite-enhancing action of orexins.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available