Food intake and energy balance are controlled by a dynamic interplay of gut-brain signaling pathways that are poorly defined. Recent work from the DiPatrizio lab, however, suggests that our bodies' own cannabis-like signaling molecules, the endocannabinoids, control gut-brain signaling important for food intake. Furthermore, this signaling becomes upregulated in diet-induced obesity and causes overeating. These studies highlight a novel gut-brain signaling pathway that becomes dysregulated in obesity, and may be a target for therapeutics to safely treat obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Prof. Nick DiPatrizio