Those who eat too much calories for a long time will gain weight. Behind this simple truth is actually a very complex biological mechanism. As we all know, the animal's brain plays an important regulatory role in maintaining the body's energy balance. German researchers have recently discovered that nerves distributed outside the brain and spinal cord are also involved in the process of affecting the fatness and thinness of animals.
The site of the animal's brain called the hypothalamus has been found to be the hub for animals to measure their own energy needs and regulate their food intake. High energy foods can unbalance this regulation and lead to obesity. A team led by Dr. Toblauen of the Max Planck Institute for Cardiopulmonary Research in Germany found that not only the brain but also the nerves in animal adipose tissue have an effect on obesity.
According to a press release issued by the institute on the 15th, researchers have developed transgenic mice that do not possess the Nscl-2 gene. The Nscl-2 gene only plays a role in nerve cells, which are obese after birth in adult rats. many. Further studies have found that the transgenic mice have much less nerves, especially small nerve fibers, than normal, and therefore the information transmission in the adipose tissue of the transgenic mice is significantly reduced. This should be an important cause of obesity in transgenic mice.
The researchers also unexpectedly discovered that these transgenic mice lacking the Nscl-2 gene, although obese, did not suffer from type 2 diabetes. They believe that the use of the above findings may influence the maturation process of human fat cells in the future, thereby improving the body's metabolism. (Reporter's classmate)