title: [Hunger-driven modulation in brain functions].
abstract: \All organisms must obtain nutrition in order to survive and produce their progeny. In the natural environment, however, adequate nutrition or food is not always available. Thus, all organisms are equipped with mechanisms by which their nutritional condition alters their internal activities. In animals, the loss of nutritional intake (fasting) alters not only metabolism, but also behavior in a manner dependent on hormones such as insulin, glucagon, leptin, and ghrelin. As a result, animals are able to maintain their blood sugar level, and are motivated to crave food upon fasting. Moreover, our recent study revealed a novel role of hunger, which facilitates long-term memory (LTM) formation, and its molecular mechanism in the fruit fly, Drosophila. Here, we review the overall effect of fasting, and how fasting affects brain function. I then introduce our finding in which mild fasting facilitates LTM formation, and discuss its biological significance.
authors.affiliation: SK Project, Medical Innovation Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Yukinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saitoe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D005215:Fasting / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology*; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin