▲ White fat neurons
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, have identified a specific group of brain neurons (neurons) that are critical to obesity.
Associate Professor Tuner Pers' research team at the University of Copenhagen's Center for Basic Metabolism Research recently published a related paper in the journal'eLife'.
The greatest achievement of this study is the first identification of the types of neurons that control the processing of memory, behavior, and perceptual information related to obesity.
Further study of these brain regions, scientists hope, could reveal why some people are particularly susceptible to obesity.
The researchers found that genetic mutations that were strongly associated with obesity were myopathic genes expressed in groups of 26 neurons of different types.
This suggests that groups of neurons that process sensory stimuli and direct food intake behavior may have a greater impact on an individual's risk of obesity.
The researchers also identified the types of neurons that support learning and memory play a role in the process of obesity.
"We have confirmed that obesity is much more complex than known and cannot be simply regarded as a problem of willpower weakness," Pers said. "It's about identifying pathways that increase your vulnerability to."
(Photo = Courtesy of Rockefeller University Molecular Genetics Lab, Yonhap News)