Why rats eat more when their brain's hunger button is pressed
Role of ventromedial hypothalamic dopaminergic D1-like receptors in regulating standard food intake in 24-hour food-deprived male rats.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
D1-like receptor activation in the VMH increases feeding—contrary to the traditional view that the VMH is primarily a 'satiety center' that suppresses eating.
For decades, the VMH was thought to shut off hunger; this study shows it can also turn hunger on via dopamine signaling, flipping a long-standing textbook idea.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t blame willpower alone for overeating—brain chemistry may be driving hunger signals independently of hunger pangs.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
D1-like receptor activation in the VMH increases feeding—contrary to the traditional view that the VMH is primarily a 'satiety center' that suppresses eating.
For decades, the VMH was thought to shut off hunger; this study shows it can also turn hunger on via dopamine signaling, flipping a long-standing textbook idea.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t blame willpower alone for overeating—brain chemistry may be driving hunger signals independently of hunger pangs.
Publication
Journal
Brain research
Year
2025
Authors
Shiva Bakhshi-Ameshi, N. Torabi, Maryam Nazari, Afsaneh Eliassi
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Claims (5)
Auditory feedback during mastication modulates perceived food satiety and influences subsequent food intake via dopaminergic reward pathways.
The rats ate more because of the brain receptor change—not because they were moving around more or less.
A certain type of brain chemical signal in the hunger center of fasted rats helps tell them to eat more.
A part of the rat brain called the ventromedial hypothalamus helps control eating when the rat is hungry, and dopamine signals through D1 receptors are part of how it works.
When scientists turned on a specific type of brain receptor in the hunger center of fasted rats, the rats ate more food—and when they turned it off, the rats ate less.