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Arcuate nucleus (revision 2)

Old revision·12:24, 19 Sep 2024·AmylinAmos

This is an old revision of this page, as it stood at 12:24, 19 Sep 2024, saved by AmylinAmos with the summary add a figure for the secretion time course and caption it. It may differ substantially from the current revision, and any error it contains may since have been corrected.
Arcuate nucleus
LocationMediobasal hypothalamus, adjacent to the median eminence
Anorexigenic populationPOMC and CART neurons
Orexigenic populationAgRP and NPY neurons
Topic infobox · conventions

The arcuate nucleus is a region of the mediobasal hypothalamus containing two functionally opposed neuronal populations that regulate food intake: neurons expressing pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), which suppress intake, and neurons expressing agouti-related peptide (AgRP) and neuropeptide Y, which promote it.[1]

Its position adjacent to the median eminence, where the capillaries are fenestrated, gives it unusual access to circulating signals. Hormones that cannot cross an intact blood-brain barrier can nonetheless influence arcuate neurons, which is why the nucleus is a principal target for peripherally administered peptides including GLP-1 receptor agonists.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Schwartz MW, Woods SC, Porte D, Seeley RJ, Baskin DG. "Central nervous system control of food intake." Nature 404(6778):661–671 (2000). PMID 10766253.