Brain region dPVp found to control cold-induced appetite and heat production
A study in nonhuman models identified a previously unknown circuit in the dorsal posterior periventricular hypothalamic nucleus, or dPVp, that responds to falling body temperature. This region coordinates increased eating, heat generation, and energy use during cold exposure. Published in Neuron, the work assigns the first known function to this understudied hypothalamic area.
Researchers at USF Health, led by Yong Xu, examined an obscure hypothalamic area called dPVp, the dorsal posterior periventricular hypothalamic nucleus, in nonhuman models. By altering cold-sensitive neurons there, they showed this nucleus helps translate lower body temperature into altered feeding and metabolism. The work appeared in Neuron and gives dPVp its first assigned role.
The team also found KCNK2, also called TREK-1, inside dPVp neurons, where it appears to help cells detect cold. Activating these neurons raised food-seeking while increasing energy expenditure, reducing weight gain and improving glucose control in the models. Future drugs might target KCNK2 selectively.
If these nonhuman findings translate, people with obesity, type 2 diabetes, or related metabolic conditions could eventually benefit from therapies that raise energy use rather than only suppress appetite. Drug developers and clinicians may gain a new target in KCNK2, though years of safety and efficacy testing would be needed. The broader public might see renewed attention to how environmental cold and brain circuits shape metabolism, but near-term clinical impact remains uncertain.