Neuroscience
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Oxidation of fat by brown adipose tissue (BAT) contributes to energy balance and heat production. During cold exposure, BAT thermogenesis produces heat to warm the body. Obese subjects and rodents, however, show impaired BAT thermogenesis to the cold. ⋯ Nanoinjections of a GABAA receptor agonist into the LPBd area rescued BAT thermogenesis to the cold in HFD rats. These data reveal the LPBd as a critical brain area that tonically suppresses energy expenditure in obesity during skin cooling. These findings reveal novel effects of high-fat diets in the brain and in the control of metabolism and can contribute to the development of therapeutic approaches to regulate fat metabolism.