Does Our Brain Instruct Our Bodies To Burn More Fat?

The identification of classical brown and beige adipocytes in white fat depots in adults humans has heralded a new era in adipose tissue biology with a focus on energy homeostasis. The capacity of brown/beige adipocytes to utilise lipids and glucose as a fuel source, and to expend the energy as heat, accompanied by their decreased abundance in older and overweight individuals, has garnered interest in promoting brown and beige fat thermogenesis to combat the obesity epidemic. Studies from our lab have shown that brown and beige fat thermogenesis is controlled by POMC and AgRP neurons in the brain. Projects are available to determine the molecular mechanism by which the brain controls brown and beige adipocyte thermogenesis and body weight.