title: The role of astrocytes in the hypothalamic response and adaptation to metabolic signals.
abstract: The hypothalamus is crucial in the regulation of homeostatic functions in mammals, with the disruption of hypothalamic circuits contributing to chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and infertility. Metabolic signals and hormonal inputs drive functional and morphological changes in the hypothalamus in attempt to maintain metabolic homeostasis. However, the dramatic increase in the incidence of obesity and its secondary complications, such as type 2 diabetes, have evidenced the need to better understand how this system functions and how it can go awry. Growing evidence points to a critical role of astrocytes in orchestrating the hypothalamic response to metabolic cues by participating in processes of synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity and nutrient sensing. These glial cells express receptors for important metabolic signals, such as the anorexigenic hormone leptin, and determine the type and quantity of nutrients reaching their neighboring neurons. Understanding the mechanisms by which astrocytes participate in hypothalamic adaptations to changes in dietary and metabolic signals is fundamental for understanding the neuroendocrine control of metabolism and key in the search for adequate treatments of metabolic diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación la Princesa, CIBER de Obesidad Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain. Electronic address: julieann.chowen@salud.madrid.org.
authors.forename: Julie A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Chowen
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación la Princesa, CIBER de Obesidad Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Argente-Arizón
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación la Princesa, CIBER de Obesidad Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Alejandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Freire-Regatillo
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación la Princesa, CIBER de Obesidad Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Frago
authors.affiliation: Program in Integrative Cell Signaling and Neurobiology of Metabolism, Section of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
authors.forename: Tamas L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Horvath
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, Instituto de Investigación la Princesa, CIBER de Obesidad Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBEROBN). Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Pediatrics, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Argente
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D009765:Obesity / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Glia; High fat diet; Hypothalamic inflammation; Leptin; Melanocortin system; Synaptic plasticity