FUNCTION OF BRAINSTEM BRAIN-DERIVED NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR (BDNF) IN FOOD CHOICE

Obesity represents a major medical and economic challenge of the 21st century. The primary cause of obesity is the consumption of more food than the body requires, calories that are then stored as fat. An understanding of the biological mechanisms regulating food choice and meal size is essential to successful prevention of obesity. The brain represents the master coordinator of appetite, employing a number of interwoven neurological circuits to continually appraise and respond to changes in nutritional state. A principal node within this network is a brain chemical called brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), which is a powerful regulator of appetite and body weight. Therefore, a clear understanding of the precise mechanism through which Bdnf modulates how much food we eat and the types of food we choose is of intense interest. However, discoveries in this direction have been hindered by a lack of precise tools. To overcome this obstacle, we generated a powerful new means to discover the location of crucial sources of Bdnf responsible for communicating meal-related information, and how Bdnf, in turn, influences our decisions about what foods we choose to eat. We hypothesise that Bdnf within a brain region called the nucleus of the solitary tract controls appetite and food choice by directly sensing and responding to the nutrients in the food we eat. Furthermore, we hypothesise that the regular over-consumption of calorie dense foods disrupts Bdnf's detection of nutrients, which then facilitates over-eating. We will test these hypotheses using state of the art technology in this application and anticipate that the data generated will reveal an important component of the biological underpinnings of appetite, food choice and body weight, findings relevant to the prevention and treatment of obesity.