A new study published yesterday (Wednesday) by the California-based Scripps Research Institute discovered neurons that transmit messages from fat tissues to cells. May this discovery be used in the future to treat obesity or metabolic diseases.
The prevailing assumption for years was that hormones moving passively through the blood were the agent through which the brain monitored adipose tissue. Now new research has discovered neurons that send messages from fat tissue to the brain.
According to this discovery, the brain actively monitors the fat tissues in the body and not passively. Those responsible for the research stated that this discovery has “far-reaching effects”.
Dr. Erdem Patfotian said: “This is another example of the great importance of the sensory neurons for health and disease in the human body.”
Researchers have known for a long time that the nerves reach the fat tissues, but thought that these were not sensory neurons that transmit information to the brain. The prevailing hypothesis was that these nerves in the fat were related to the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible for the body’s automatic reactions. Thus it was assumed that the system “turns on” the neural pathways for fat burning during times of stress and physical activity. However, attempts to clarify the types of functions of this mechanism have been difficult.
The findings of the new study indicate that the sensory neurons and the sympathetic neurons have opposite roles, with the sympathetic causing fat burning and the sensory stopping these processes.
Dr. Li Ye said that this is a complex system: “The two types of neurons are used as the gas pedal and the brakes for burning fat.”
The researchers still do not know exactly what messages the sensory neurons transmit to the brain from the fat tissue, only that the connection and communication between them is a key to turning fat into a healthy one. They plan future research into what exactly these neurons sense and whether similar cells exist for other internal organs.
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