title: Transmitter time: synaptic plasticity and metabolic memory in the hypothalamus.
abstract: Hunger elicits feeding behavior by activating Agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons. Two recent studies show how fasting, or the hunger hormone ghrelin, promote excitatory glutamate release onto AgRP neurons (Yang et al., 2011) and increase postsynaptic glutamate receptor-mediated drive (Liu et al., 2012).
authors.affiliation: Monash Obesity & Diabetes Institute, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia 3800.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Spanswick
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Simonds
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cowley