TY - JOUR TI - A bidirectional network for appetite control in larval zebrafish AU - Wee, Caroline Lei AU - Song, Erin Yue AU - Johnson, Robert Evan AU - Ailani, Deepak AU - Randlett, Owen AU - Kim, Ji-Yoon AU - Nikitchenko, Maxim AU - Bahl, Armin AU - Yang, Chao-Tsung AU - Ahrens, Misha B AU - Kawakami, Koichi AU - Engert, Florian AU - Kunes, Sam A2 - Calabrese, Ronald L VL - 8 PY - 2019 DA - 2019/10/18 SP - e43775 C1 - eLife 2019;8:e43775 DO - 10.7554/eLife.43775 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.43775 AB - Medial and lateral hypothalamic loci are known to suppress and enhance appetite, respectively, but the dynamics and functional significance of their interaction have yet to be explored. Here we report that, in larval zebrafish, primarily serotonergic neurons of the ventromedial caudal hypothalamus (cH) become increasingly active during food deprivation, whereas activity in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) is reduced. Exposure to food sensory and consummatory cues reverses the activity patterns of these two nuclei, consistent with their representation of opposing internal hunger states. Baseline activity is restored as food-deprived animals return to satiety via voracious feeding. The antagonistic relationship and functional importance of cH and LH activity patterns were confirmed by targeted stimulation and ablation of cH neurons. Collectively, the data allow us to propose a model in which these hypothalamic nuclei regulate different phases of hunger and satiety and coordinate energy balance via antagonistic control of distinct behavioral outputs. KW - appetite KW - hypothalamus KW - serotonin JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -