Ins R. Violante1, Jelena Anastasovska2, Gina J. Sanchez-Canon2, Tiago B. Rodrigues1, Valeria Righi1, Laura Nieto-Charques1, James RC Parkinson3, Stephen R. Bloom3, Jimmy D. Bell2, Sebastin Cerdn1
1Laboratory for Imaging and Spectroscopy Magnetic Resonance, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomdicas "Alberto Sols" CSIC UAM, Madrid, Spain; 2Imaging Sciences Department, MRC Clinical Sciences, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK; 3Department of Metabolic Medicine, Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
13C HR-MAS spectroscopy was used to investigate the neuroglial coupling mechanisms underlying appetite regulation. Fed or overnight fasted mice received (1-13C) glucose (20 mol/g), fifteen minutes prior to brain fixation by focused microwaves. The hypothalamic region was dissected from the rest of the brain and 13C HR-MAS spectra acquired from both biopsies. Fasting resulted in a 58% and 17% increase in lactate C3 and GABA C2 content, respectively, in the hypothalamic area. Administration of ghrelin (0.3 nmol/g) did not show significant changes in these resonances. Our results indicate that the hypothalamic regulation of appetite involves increased neuroglial lactate shuttling and augmented GABA concentrations.