Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit
Abstract Olfactory perception of food odors is a key determinant of eating behavior, including triggering appetite, facilitating food seeking and influencing food choice. While transient food-related olfactory cues stimulate appetite and provoke cravings in states of hunger, emerging evidence implie...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63170-2 |
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| author | Yao Liu Hailan Liu Huey-Xian Kelly Wong Niccole Auld Kristine M. Conde Yongxiang Li Meng Yu Yue Deng Qingzhuo Liu Xing Fang Mengjie Wang Yuhan Shi Olivia Z. Ginnard Yuxue Yang Longlong Tu Hesong Liu Jonathan C. Bean Junying Han Megan E. Burt Sanika V. Jossy Yongjie Yang Chunmei Wang Qingchun Tong Benjamin R. Arenkiel Hongjie Li Yong Xu Yang He |
| author_facet | Yao Liu Hailan Liu Huey-Xian Kelly Wong Niccole Auld Kristine M. Conde Yongxiang Li Meng Yu Yue Deng Qingzhuo Liu Xing Fang Mengjie Wang Yuhan Shi Olivia Z. Ginnard Yuxue Yang Longlong Tu Hesong Liu Jonathan C. Bean Junying Han Megan E. Burt Sanika V. Jossy Yongjie Yang Chunmei Wang Qingchun Tong Benjamin R. Arenkiel Hongjie Li Yong Xu Yang He |
| author_sort | Yao Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Olfactory perception of food odors is a key determinant of eating behavior, including triggering appetite, facilitating food seeking and influencing food choice. While transient food-related olfactory cues stimulate appetite and provoke cravings in states of hunger, emerging evidence implies that prolonged and sustained exposure to food-derived odor (FO) suppresses feeding. However, the mechanisms by which olfaction induces hypophagia remain elusive. In this study, we show that prolonged FO exposure significantly suppresses food intake in male mice. We identified a subset of neurons in the ventral subiculum (vSub) that are specifically activated by FO. We further discovered that these FO-activated neurons in the vSub receive excitatory inputs from the olfactory bulb (OB) and send glutamatergic projections to the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Inhibition of the OB → vSub → VMH circuit abolished the FO-induced reduction in food intake, while activation of this circuit suppressed feeding and reduced body weight. Together, these findings reveal a neurobiological circuitry that mediates the influence of olfactory signals on food intake regulation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9187bb82c06443d0981d431ce9b2a1ba |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-9187bb82c06443d0981d431ce9b2a1ba2025-08-24T11:37:07ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232025-08-0116111710.1038/s41467-025-63170-2Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuitYao Liu0Hailan Liu1Huey-Xian Kelly Wong2Niccole Auld3Kristine M. Conde4Yongxiang Li5Meng Yu6Yue Deng7Qingzhuo Liu8Xing Fang9Mengjie Wang10Yuhan Shi11Olivia Z. Ginnard12Yuxue Yang13Longlong Tu14Hesong Liu15Jonathan C. Bean16Junying Han17Megan E. Burt18Sanika V. Jossy19Yongjie Yang20Chunmei Wang21Qingchun Tong22Benjamin R. Arenkiel23Hongjie Li24Yong Xu25Yang He26Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalProgram in Cancer Cell Biology, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineBrown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at HoustonJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalHuffington Center on Aging, Baylor College of MedicineDepartment of Pediatrics, USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of MedicineJan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute, Texas Children’s HospitalAbstract Olfactory perception of food odors is a key determinant of eating behavior, including triggering appetite, facilitating food seeking and influencing food choice. While transient food-related olfactory cues stimulate appetite and provoke cravings in states of hunger, emerging evidence implies that prolonged and sustained exposure to food-derived odor (FO) suppresses feeding. However, the mechanisms by which olfaction induces hypophagia remain elusive. In this study, we show that prolonged FO exposure significantly suppresses food intake in male mice. We identified a subset of neurons in the ventral subiculum (vSub) that are specifically activated by FO. We further discovered that these FO-activated neurons in the vSub receive excitatory inputs from the olfactory bulb (OB) and send glutamatergic projections to the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH). Inhibition of the OB → vSub → VMH circuit abolished the FO-induced reduction in food intake, while activation of this circuit suppressed feeding and reduced body weight. Together, these findings reveal a neurobiological circuitry that mediates the influence of olfactory signals on food intake regulation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63170-2 |
| spellingShingle | Yao Liu Hailan Liu Huey-Xian Kelly Wong Niccole Auld Kristine M. Conde Yongxiang Li Meng Yu Yue Deng Qingzhuo Liu Xing Fang Mengjie Wang Yuhan Shi Olivia Z. Ginnard Yuxue Yang Longlong Tu Hesong Liu Jonathan C. Bean Junying Han Megan E. Burt Sanika V. Jossy Yongjie Yang Chunmei Wang Qingchun Tong Benjamin R. Arenkiel Hongjie Li Yong Xu Yang He Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit Nature Communications |
| title | Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit |
| title_full | Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit |
| title_fullStr | Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit |
| title_full_unstemmed | Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit |
| title_short | Prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb-to-hypothalamus circuit |
| title_sort | prolonged exposure to food odors suppresses feeding via an olfactory bulb to hypothalamus circuit |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-63170-2 |
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