The zona incerta (ZI) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) are brain areas that are both implicated in feeding behaviour. The ZI projects to the VTA, although it has not yet been investigated whether this projection regulates feeding. We experimentally (in)activated the ZI to VTA projection by using dual viral vector technology, and studied the effects on feeding microstructure, the willingness to work for food, general activity and body temperature. Activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding by facilitating action initiation towards food, as reflected in meal frequency and the willingness to work for food reward, without affecting general activity or directly modulating body temperature. We show for the first time that activity of the ZI to VTA projection promotes feeding, which improves the understanding of the neurobiology of feeding behaviour and body weight regulation.
Pubmed ID: 33296086 RIS Download
Publication data is provided by the National Library of Medicine ® and PubMed ®. Data is retrieved from PubMed ® on a weekly schedule. For terms and conditions see the National Library of Medicine Terms and Conditions.
Software package used for interactive, or batched, statistical analysis in social science, health sciences and marketing. Software platform offers advanced statistical analysis, a library of machine-learning algorithms, text analysis, open-source extensibility, integration with big data and deployment into applications.Versions that were produced by SPSS Inc. before the IBM acquisition (Versions 18 and earlier) would be given origin or publisher of SPSS Inc. in Chicago.
View all literature mentions