2024-08-14 06:00:14
Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered that orexin, a chemical messenger in the brain, plays a key role in the choice between exercise and snacking. The discovery could help develop strategies to encouragephysical activity in people who have difficulty motivating themselves to exercise.
Neuroscientists conducted an experiment with mice to understand how orexin influences this decision. The mice were given the choice between running on a wheel or enjoying a strawberry milkshake. When their orexin system was blocked, the mice significantly preferred the milkshake to the exercise. In contrast, mice with an intact orexin system spent more time temps to run than to drink the milkshake. This shows that orexin helps to arbitrate between exercise and food when both options are available. Orexin, less well known than other neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, was discovered about 25 years ago. Its role in regulation of theappétit is increasingly well understood. However, its function in the choice between eating and exercising is a recent revelation. Denis Burdakov, professor of neurosciences at ETH Zurich, explains that although dopamine is often associated with motivationit does not explain why we sometimes prefer exercise to food, since both activities stimulate the release of dopamine.
In the experiment, the researchers compared the behavior of two groups of mice: one with a functioning orexin system and one with an orexin system blocked by a drug or genetic modification. The results showed that without orexin, the mice chose food over exercise twice as often. However, when the mice were given only one option, either run or eat, their behavior was surprisingly similar.
These results, although carried out on mice, are probably transferable to humans, because the brain functions involved are similar between the two species. People with a restricted orexin system, such as narcoleptics or those treated for insomnia, could provide valuable information in the continuation of the work.
This research opens the way to new strategies to combat obesity and metabolic disorders by better understanding how the brain decides between eating and exercising.
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