Brain receptor can regulate fat burning: Study

Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered that brain receptor can regulate fat burning in the cells.

Experimenting with a mice fed with a high-fat diet, researchers found that lowering levels of P75 neurotrophin receptor (NTR)- a receptor involved in neuron growth and survival, has protected it from developing obesity, diabetes, and fatty liver disease.

Researchers investigated that the relationship between p75 NTR and a diet high in fat, often is the cause of metabolic syndrome and obesity problems.

The scientists discovered that the receptor helped to regulate metabolic processes that control body weight, and reducing the number of p75 NTR in fat cells prevented weight gain in mice.

Lead author Bernat Baez-Raja, PhD, a research scientist in the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease said that they have identified a novel molecular mechanism that regulates energy expenditure and may help prevent obesity and the metabolic syndrome.

The study showed that p75 NTR's role in fat cells in particular contributed significantly to regulating body weight.

Additionally, the study showed that deleting p75 NTR only from fat cells resulted in similar outcomes as deleting the receptors from all cell types in the body.

The study is published in the Journal Cell Reports.