In their study, first co-authors David Lau and Stephanie Tobin show that body-weight control in mice is strongly modulated by neurons in the nucleus accumbens, which is rich in endocannabinoids and regulates food reward and physical activity.
Fulton remarked, 'We expected that increasing 2-AG levels would stimulate food intake by increasing cannabinoid signaling, but paradoxically found that when we deleted the gene encoding ABHD6 in the nucleus accumbens in mice, there was less motivation for food and greater interest in physical activity.'
The researchers' latest discovery published in Nature Communications highlights how the modulation of endocannabinoid action in the brain could be a strategic approach to combat obesity.
The enzyme ABHD6 degrades the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and its inhibition reduced body weight and protected against diabetes, raising questions about its functions in appetite and weight control.
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