Unlocking the key to obesity and overeating
Three young researchers who made their mark early in their careers received the Young Scientist Award last Friday from Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. Shabana Begum highlights how their research broke new ground.
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Dr Sarah Luo found that a cluster of neurons at the base of the brain regulates eating behaviour - with implications for those with metabolic conditions such as obesity and diabetes.
When she and her team activated the cluster - called the tuberal nucleus - in mice's brains, they started eating excessively even when they were not hungry.
She conducted these experiments when the mice were in a new environment, outside the cage they live in.
"When we later put the mice back into the new environment, they would start (excessively) eating, even without the neurons activated," added Dr Luo, 35, who is a principal investigator at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (A*Star) Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology.
This meant that the tuberal nucleus and environments associated with food can drive overeating and obesity.
"What our research shows is that there are regions in the brain that regulate feeding, and dysfunctions in these circuits contribute to overeating - and much of this might not be under conscious control. Most times, there is a stigma against people who overeat and are overweight, that they lack willpower or have no self-control," she explained.
Dr Luo and her team are looking to identify key areas to target, to treat obesity and curb overeating.
