Neuroendocrine regulation and autonomic function, including stress responses, circadian rhythms, autonomic disorders, and the interaction between the nervous and endocrine systems
10 papersThis study, conducted in mice, found a brain pathway between the amygdala (emotion center) and the liver that controls glucose release during stress, independent of typical stress hormones. Repeated stress disrupts this pathway, leading to problems like high blood sugar and weight gain, suggesting a link between chronic stress and metabolic disorders like diabetes.
This review article discusses the many functions of the hypothalamus, a small but important brain region. It explores how internal and external factors affect the hypothalamus, and suggests ways to improve well-being by optimizing its function through breathing exercises, sleep, and stress management.
This review synthesizes research on reinforcement learning, focusing on how primary reward signals for food and water originate from post-oral feedback rather than immediate sensory experiences. The authors highlight distinct pathways for sugar, fat, and water, emphasizing the role of internal states and goals in shaping these signals. While primarily based on animal research, the findings suggest a revised reinforcement learning framework that incorporates the body's internal state evaluation.
This study in mice found that the brain's waste-clearing system, called the glymphatic system, is more active during the day, with higher AQP4 protein levels contributing to this cycle. This day/night difference persists even when the mice are kept in constant light, suggesting it's tied to their internal clock rather than just the light/dark cycle. The authors demonstrate opposing daily rhythms of drainage to the lymph nodes compared to glymphatic system.
This hypothesis review proposes that the gut microbiome may influence love-associated emotions (lust, attraction, and attachment) by modulating hormone levels and activity. Much of the evidence presented is based on animal models, and more research is needed to confirm these findings in humans. Further research is also needed to elucidate the role of socio-cultural factors, along with environmental influences that affect both gut microbiome composition and hormone levels.
In mice, the stress hormone CRH disrupts deep sleep (NREM) by increasing micro-arousals and decreasing sleep spindle activity, suggesting a role in sleep fragmentation. This effect is mediated through the CRHR1 receptor in a specific part of the thalamus. Photostimulation mimicking natural CRH oscillations fragmented sleep, while suppressing CRH release consolidated it, highlighting the importance of CRH in sleep regulation.
This study identified the brainstem and suprapontine regions that directly project to excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC), the breathing rhythm generator. Surprisingly, both neuron types receive input from the same brain areas involved in various functions including breathing, emotion, and motor control, implying that the balance of these inputs, rather than separate pathways, may fine-tune breathing.
This study identified two small areas in the mouse brainstem, the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC) and the parabrachial/Kölliker-Fuse nuclei (PBN/KF), as critical for opioid-induced respiratory depression (OIRD). Within the preBötC, a small subset of approximately 140 glutamatergic neurons were found to mediate this effect in vitro.
This study found that blood vessels in the brains of male mice display distinct dynamics across different sleep stages, with slow vasomotion during NREM sleep, dilation during REM sleep, and constriction upon awakening. Biomechanical modeling suggests these dynamics likely enhance cerebrospinal fluid flow and solute transport in the perivascular spaces, particularly during NREM sleep, with potential implications for brain waste clearance.
The study recommends a minimum daytime melanopic EDI of 250 lux, a maximum evening melanopic EDI of 10 lux starting 3 hours before bed, and a maximum nighttime melanopic EDI of 1 lux for optimal sleep and wakefulness. These recommendations are based on melanopsin's influence on non-visual light responses and are intended to promote healthy circadian rhythms and improve alertness, sleep, and mood.