[초청강연] Neuroscience of Appetite: Two Distinct Lateral Hypothalamic Neurons Regulate Hunger-Gated Food-Seeking and Consummatory Behaviours

Neuroscience of Appetite: Two Distinct Lateral Hypothalamic Neurons Regulate Hunger-
Gated Food-Seeking and Consummatory Behaviours

Seoul National University College of Medicine
Hyung Jin Choi
The physiological need for energy evokes motivated feeding behaviours that help to ensure
survival. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the generation of food motivation
remain poorly understood. We investigated these mechanisms by subdividing feeding-
related motivated behaviours into food-seeking and consummatory behaviours. Micro-
endoscopic results indicated that neurons containing leptin receptors (LepRs) in the lateral
hypothalamus (LH) are the major food-specific subpopulation of LH GABA  neurons. Optogenetic
manipulation of LH LepR  neurons bidirectionally regulated both food-seeking and consummatory
behaviours. Furthermore, micro-endoscope data revealed that distinct LH LepR  neurons encode
seeking and consummatory behaviours. Computational modeling analysis demonstrated that
LH LepR  neurons encode motivation, whereas neurons containing agouti-related peptide and
neuropeptide Y (AgRP/NPY) encode the need for food. Additionally, slice studies revealed
that NPY decreases inhibitory input to LH LepR  neurons via LH GABA  interneurons. This
mechanism explains the permissive gate role of hunger (food need) in
seeking/consummatory motivation. Together, the present study provides a comprehensive
neural mechanism of how physiological needs drive two distinct motivated behaviours.