A group of researchers from the University of Cologne has developed a completely new approach to the treatment of eating disorders.
According to their study published in Nature Metabolism (I link it here), a group of nerve cells in the hypothalamus (so-called AgRP, agouti-related peptide neurons) stimulates nervous hunger and food intake. The main role in this process would be played by the enzyme autotaxin, responsible for the production of lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in the brain as a modulator of network activity.
Result? The administration of autotaxin inhibitors can significantly reduce nervous hunger, excessive food intake and obesity (for now everything tested on animal models).
The enemy to be killed
Obesity and eating disorders are among the most widespread causes of a number of disorders. Which? Well, some of the worst. In particular, cardiovascular diseases with irreversible disabilities or fatal consequences such as heart attacks, diabetes and strokes, in modern industrialized countries around the world. There are 800 million obese people in the world. In Italy, 42,4% of adults are overweight, 31,6% are overweight and 10,8% are obese. In Germany, the country where the test was adopted, the Robert Koch Institute reported in 2021 67% of men and 53% of women are overweight. 23% of adults are obese. Attempts to influence eating behavior with drugs have so far proven ineffective, and new remedies (including aexercise pill“) are still on the horizon.
A new therapy that modulates the excitability of the networks that control eating behavior and nervous hunger would be a decisive step towards controlling this widespread obesity.
A systematic review
The group led by Professor Johannes Vogt (Medical Faculty, University of Cologne) demonstrated that the control of the excitability of neurons in the cerebral cortex by lysophosphatidic acid plays an essential role in the control of eating behavior. Nervous hunger and binges, as mentioned, could be normalized with the administration of autotaxin inhibitors.
It is a very important step towards the development of new drugs for humans, currently being studied at the German Hans Knöll Institute in Jena.
And that's not all. These studies on the control of excitation of neuronal networks in eating behavior could in the future contribute not only to the treatment of eating disorders, but also of neurological and psychiatric diseases.
Good job!
