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Stress and Brain 2023, 3(1): 19-34 https://doi.org/10.26599/SAB.2023.9060033
Review Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 09 June 2023

Gut–vagus–NTS neural pathway in controlling feeding behaviors

Show Author's Information Jing Chen1,  Cheng Zhan2( )
School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China
Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Keywords:
feeding behavior, nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), vagus nerve, nodose ganglion, gut signals
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Chen J, Zhan C. Gut–vagus–NTS neural pathway in controlling feeding behaviors. Stress and Brain, 2023, 3(1): 19-34. https://doi.org/10.26599/SAB.2023.9060033
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Abstract Full text About this article

Obesity has become a worldwide disease, posing a rapidly increasing challenge to the global healthcare system. The primary reason for obesity is that food intake exceeds the body’s needs. The central nervous system monitors the body’s energy status by continuously receiving peripheral gut-derived signals and functions as a master regulator in controlling feeding behaviors. Vagal afferents transmit gut-derived consumption signals from the periphery to the hindbrain (e.g., the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS)). In contrast, vagal efferent nerves send commands to regulate peripheral organ activities. However, the precise role of the gut–vagus–NTS pathway and the gut–brain axis in regulating food intake is not yet fully understood. This review highlights the key roles of the NTS, vagal sensory neurons, and the gastrointestinal system in regulating feeding behaviors.


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About this article

Gut–vagus–NTS neural pathway in controlling feeding behaviors

Show Author's information Jing Chen1, Cheng Zhan2( )
School of Sport Science, Beijing Sport University, Beijing 100084, China
Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Life Sciences, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China

Abstract

Obesity has become a worldwide disease, posing a rapidly increasing challenge to the global healthcare system. The primary reason for obesity is that food intake exceeds the body’s needs. The central nervous system monitors the body’s energy status by continuously receiving peripheral gut-derived signals and functions as a master regulator in controlling feeding behaviors. Vagal afferents transmit gut-derived consumption signals from the periphery to the hindbrain (e.g., the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS)). In contrast, vagal efferent nerves send commands to regulate peripheral organ activities. However, the precise role of the gut–vagus–NTS pathway and the gut–brain axis in regulating food intake is not yet fully understood. This review highlights the key roles of the NTS, vagal sensory neurons, and the gastrointestinal system in regulating feeding behaviors.

Keywords: feeding behavior, nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), vagus nerve, nodose ganglion, gut signals

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Publication history
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Publication history

Received: 15 July 2022
Revised: 21 October 2022
Accepted: 20 December 2022
Published: 09 June 2023
Issue date: March 2023

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© The Author(s) 2023

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32100821 and 31822026), National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2021ZD0203900), Herbalife Nutrition (No. JJH20200004) and Beijing Sport University (No. 2021QN030).

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