Brain regulation of feeding behaviour through mitochondria fission

At least 70% of the world population will be overweight or obese by 2020. These individuals are more likely to be insulin resistant and develop diabetes. The brain collects inputs from around the body to regulate glucose metabolism and feeding behavior of an individual, and signals back to the peripheral organs to ensure a balanced hormonal response. Changes in these hormonal and metabolic processes can lead to metabolic diseases. I discovered that in rodents, a specific area of the brain called the Dorsal Vagal Complex, senses insulin to regulate metabolic functions. Interestingly, 3 days of high-fat diet is enough to cause loss of insulin sensitivity and increase of blood glucose levels. This is due to the fact that there is an alteration of mitochondria shape and size. With this proposal, I aim to understand whether altered mitochondria morphology can affect food intake and body weight thus causing overfeading and obesity.