this post was submitted on 04 Sep 2023
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Science

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Brain's Weight Switch Found: May Let Us Eat What We Want, Finally (neurosciencenews.com)
submitted 1 year ago by will_a113@lemmy.ml to c/science@beehaw.org
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A new discovery reveals that astrocytes, star-shaped cells in the brain, play a key role in regulating fat metabolism and obesity. These cells act on a cluster of neurons, known as the GABRA5 cluster, effectively acting as a “switch” for weight regulation.

The MAO-B enzyme in these astrocytes was identified as a target for obesity treatment, influencing GABA secretion and thus weight regulation.

KDS2010, a selective and reversible MAO-B inhibitor, successfully led to weight loss in obese mice without impacting their food intake, even while consuming a high-fat diet, and is now in Phase 1 clinical trials.

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[–] tiny_electron@beehaw.org 20 points 1 year ago (24 children)

But where does all the excess energy go? You can't cheat basic physics

[–] Emma_Gold_Man@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Since nobody else who answered you read the article:

Heat. They discovered a way to trigger the part of the brain that regulates heat production by brown fat tissue.

[–] tiny_electron@beehaw.org 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks you! That makes a lot of sense

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