Overview

• Columbia-led researchers report that neurons in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis can bidirectionally control intake, acting as a master regulator of consummatory behavior.
• Silencing this circuit suppressed eating even in hungry mice, while activating it drove sated animals to ingest sweets, salt, fat, bitter solutions, water, and even inedible pellets.
• Imaging and circuit mapping show sweet-tuned amygdala neurons project to this hub, whose ensemble activity encodes both stimulus identity and the animal’s needs such as hunger or salt deficit.
• Stimulating the hub protected mice from chemotherapy-induced weight loss in a cachexia-like model, whereas inhibiting it produced substantial weight loss.
• The team reports that semaglutide engages neurons in this region, suggesting a possible site of action for GLP‑1 drugs, with experts noting translational promise but emphasizing the need for validation in people.