About this Research Topic
The increasing incidence of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease presents a major healthcare concern for our societies. Researchers have so far been unable to explain why animals lacking taste receptors on the tongue can still develop a preference for taste. The recent discoveries and characterized gut-brain circuits for sugar, salt, and lipid appetite are great achievements. Taste sensory percepts in the digestive organ receive and encode input signals from either the vagal neuron system or spinal cord to the brain. Despite different neuronal routes, the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) in the brainstem is the sensor gateway that integrates the input signals from the gut.
Despite these advances in the gut-brain circuits, the resources for studying the central nerve system, operational tools or methods to study gut sensory percepts and valences remain scarce.
With the help of new optogenetic, chemogenetic, and neuroimaging tools, studies have uncovered a series of nutrient-sensing circuits in the gut. However, there are still obstacles to studying the detailed mechanisms.
The topic aims to collect new findings in gut-brain circuits and shed light on the potential treatment strategy in obesity and other metabolic syndromes.
This research topic will welcome original research articles (both basic and clinical), protocols, reviews and perspectives on the following sub-topics, including but not limited to:
- Novel findings about different macronutrients, micronutrients, or gut-derived metabolites sensing in the central or peripheral nerve system.
- Innovative approaches such as improved viral serum type, newly designed 3D printed tools for observing or manipulating neural activities and beyond.
- Novel genes modulating nutrient sensing that are found in the lab animal models or clinical screening.
Despite these advances in the gut-brain circuits, the resources for studying the central nerve system, operational tools or methods to study gut sensory percepts and valences remain scarce.
With the help of new optogenetic, chemogenetic, and neuroimaging tools, studies have uncovered a series of nutrient-sensing circuits in the gut. However, there are still obstacles to studying the detailed mechanisms.
The topic aims to collect new findings in gut-brain circuits and shed light on the potential treatment strategy in obesity and other metabolic syndromes.
This research topic will welcome original research articles (both basic and clinical), protocols, reviews and perspectives on the following sub-topics, including but not limited to:
- Novel findings about different macronutrients, micronutrients, or gut-derived metabolites sensing in the central or peripheral nerve system.
- Innovative approaches such as improved viral serum type, newly designed 3D printed tools for observing or manipulating neural activities and beyond.
- Novel genes modulating nutrient sensing that are found in the lab animal models or clinical screening.
Keywords: Nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS); Vagal neuron; Spinal cord; Macronutrients; Micronutrients; Gut-derived metabolites; Gut microbiota; Viral; AAV; 3D print
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
