Analysis of Neurons that Control Thermogenesis and Hunger

Abstract

External temperature changes drive regulation of body temperature, whether that is through thermogenesis, behavioral thermoregulation etc. This response is in part mediated by a brain region called the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN), which has been observed to affect thermoregulation when artificially activated. Here we began to explore the relationship between external temperature and neural activity in the DRN, specifically neurons expressing vesicular transporters for GABA (Vgat neurons). We explored the natural dynamics of this relationship instead of using artificial activation or stimulation. This required an elaborate laboratory setup, including a way to quickly modulate local external temperature of a mouse, a method of recording neural activity in vivo, and a consistent way of time-locking data sources to ensure accurate data visualization. Here we successfully built a reproducible setup, and tested three mice, two of which showed a clear neural response to rapid external temperature changes.