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‘Brain dial’ turns food consumption on or off in mice

Master-control area integrates information about hunger, a food’s tastiness and more — and can even drive intake of plastic pellets.
By
  1. Amanda Heidt

    1. Amanda Heidt is a freelance journalist in southeast Utah.

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Scientists have identified a ‘brain dial’ that can turn food consumption on or off, at least in mice. The effect of this brain region is so powerful that when scientists manipulated it, mice that were already full kept eating — and even gobbled inedible plastic pellets.

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Nature 645, 573 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02871-6

References

  1. Canovas, J. A., Wang, L., Mohamed, A. A. M., Abbott, L. F. & Zuker, C. S. Cell https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.08.021 (2025).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Wang, Y. et al. Nature Commun. 10, 2769 (2019).

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