Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states
A major question in systems neuroscience is how a single population of neurons can interact with the rest of the brain to orchestrate complex behavioral states. The hypothalamus contains many such discrete neuronal populations that individually regulate arousal, feeding, and drinking. For example,...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2015-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsys.2015.00111/full |
| _version_ | 1818387358790189056 |
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| author | Allison eGraebner Manasi eIyer Matthew Evan Carter |
| author_facet | Allison eGraebner Manasi eIyer Matthew Evan Carter |
| author_sort | Allison eGraebner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A major question in systems neuroscience is how a single population of neurons can interact with the rest of the brain to orchestrate complex behavioral states. The hypothalamus contains many such discrete neuronal populations that individually regulate arousal, feeding, and drinking. For example, hypothalamic neurons that express hypocretin (Hcrt) neuropeptides can sense homeostatic and metabolic factors affecting wakefulness and orchestrate organismal arousal. Neurons that express agouti-related protein (AgRP) can sense the metabolic needs of the body and orchestrate a state of hunger. The organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) can detect the hypertonicity of blood and orchestrate a state of thirst. Each hypothalamic population is sufficient to generate complicated behavioral states through the combined efforts of distinct efferent projections. The principal challenge to understanding these brain systems is therefore to determine the individual roles of each downstream projection for each behavioral state. In recent years, the development and application of temporally precise, genetically encoded tools have greatly improved our understanding of the structure and function of these neural systems. This review will survey recent advances in our understanding of how these individual hypothalamic populations can orchestrate complicated behavioral states due to the combined efforts of individual downstream projections. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:08:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-182e88849e134411906804da707b1574 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5137 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-14T04:08:41Z |
| publishDate | 2015-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-182e88849e134411906804da707b15742022-12-21T23:17:45ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience1662-51372015-08-01910.3389/fnsys.2015.00111129488Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral statesAllison eGraebner0Manasi eIyer1Matthew Evan Carter2Williams CollegeWilliams CollegeWilliams CollegeA major question in systems neuroscience is how a single population of neurons can interact with the rest of the brain to orchestrate complex behavioral states. The hypothalamus contains many such discrete neuronal populations that individually regulate arousal, feeding, and drinking. For example, hypothalamic neurons that express hypocretin (Hcrt) neuropeptides can sense homeostatic and metabolic factors affecting wakefulness and orchestrate organismal arousal. Neurons that express agouti-related protein (AgRP) can sense the metabolic needs of the body and orchestrate a state of hunger. The organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) can detect the hypertonicity of blood and orchestrate a state of thirst. Each hypothalamic population is sufficient to generate complicated behavioral states through the combined efforts of distinct efferent projections. The principal challenge to understanding these brain systems is therefore to determine the individual roles of each downstream projection for each behavioral state. In recent years, the development and application of temporally precise, genetically encoded tools have greatly improved our understanding of the structure and function of these neural systems. This review will survey recent advances in our understanding of how these individual hypothalamic populations can orchestrate complicated behavioral states due to the combined efforts of individual downstream projections.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsys.2015.00111/fullAgouti-Related ProteinHypothalamusPharmacogeneticsoptogeneticshypocretinorexin |
| spellingShingle | Allison eGraebner Manasi eIyer Matthew Evan Carter Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience Agouti-Related Protein Hypothalamus Pharmacogenetics optogenetics hypocretin orexin |
| title | Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states |
| title_full | Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states |
| title_fullStr | Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states |
| title_full_unstemmed | Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states |
| title_short | Understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states |
| title_sort | understanding how discrete populations of hypothalamic neurons orchestrate complicated behavioral states |
| topic | Agouti-Related Protein Hypothalamus Pharmacogenetics optogenetics hypocretin orexin |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnsys.2015.00111/full |
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