Researchers at ETH Zurich have discovered that the brain chemical orexin and the neurons that produce it play a critical role in making decisions like choosing between exercising or enjoying a treat.
Scientists have identified orexin as a key brain chemical influencing whether individuals choose physical activity over indulgence in treat.
- The chemical messenger orexin and the orexin neurons in the brain mediate the decision between exercise and snacking. Researchers at ETH Zurich made this discovery in mice. The results are likely to be transferable to humans.
- In the experiment, mice with a blocked orexin system opted more frequently for the milkshake offered them and less for exercise.
- These results could help in researching and developing new strategies to promote physical activity in people.
Decoding Brain Choices
Should I go and exercise, or would I rather go to the café and enjoy a delectable strawberry milkshake? Until now, what exactly happens in our brain when we make this decision has been a mystery to science, but researchers at ETH Zurich have found the solution. They deciphered which brain chemical and which nerve cells mediate this decision: the messenger substance orexin and the neurons that produce it.
These neuroscientific fundamentals are relevant because many people don’t get enough exercise. Most of us have probably already decided once or even several times to skip exercising in favor of one of the numerous alternative temptations of daily life. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 80 percent of adolescents and 27 percent of adults don’t get enough exercise. And obesity is increasing at an alarming rate not only among adults but also among children and adolescents.
Understanding Brain Chemistry
“Despite these statistics, many people manage to resist the constantly present temptations and get enough exercise,” says Denis Burdakov, Professor of Neuroscience at ETH Zurich. “We wanted to know what it is in our brain that helps us make these decisions.”
In their experiments with mice, the researchers were able to show that orexin plays a key role in this process. It’s one of over a hundred messenger substances that are active in the brain. Other chemical messengers, such as
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/d1/82/d18228f6-d319-4525-bb18-78b829f0791f/mammalevolution_web.jpg "How to Make a Mammal in Nine Evolutionary Steps")
Discussion about this post