TrkB-expressing paraventricular hypothalamic neurons suppress appetite through multiple neurocircuits

Abstract

The TrkB receptor is critical for the control of energy balance, as mutations in its gene (NTRK2) lead to hyperphagia and severe obesity in humans and mice. The main neural substrate mediating the appetite-suppressing activity of TrkB, however, remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that selective Ntrk2 deletion within the paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) leads to severe hyperphagic obesity. Furthermore, chemogenetic activation or inhibition of TrkB-expressing PVH (PVHTrkB) neurons suppresses or increases food intake, respectively. PVHTrkB neurons project to multiple brain regions, including the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) and the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN). We found that PVHTrkB neurons projecting to LPBN are distinct from those projecting to VMH, yet Ntrk2 deletion in PVH neurons projecting to either VMH or LPBN results in hyperphagia and obesity. Therefore, TrkB signaling is a key regulator of a previously uncharacterized and heterogenous neuronal population within the PVH that impinges upon multiple circuits to govern appetite.