Neural control of instinctive behaviors

Shuntaro Izawa

Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research

 

The hypothalamus acts as a regulatory center for instinctive behaviors such as sleep and metabolism. Advances in modern neuroscience technology have improved our understanding of the systems and mechanisms that underlie these behaviors.

Most hypothalamic neurons contain and release peptides and hormones, functioning as endocrine systems. Our research has focused on orexin peptide and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH). Orexin promotes wakefulness and increases energy expenditure, while MCH induces REM sleep and conserves energy. In this presentation, I will discuss current studies on MCH and orexin neuronal systems, including their regulatory interactions.

 

References

１．Izawa S, Fusca D, Jiang H, Heilinger C, Hausen AC, Wunderlich FT, Steuernagel L, Kloppenburg P, Brüning JC.

Orexin/hypocretin receptor 2 signaling in MCH neurons regulates REM sleep and insulin sensitivity.

Cell Reports. 44(2):115277, 2025

2．Izawa S, Yoneshiro T, Kondoh K, Nakagiri S, Okamatsu-Ogura Y, Terao A, Minokoshi Y, Yamanaka A, Kimura K.

Melanin-concentrating hormone-producing neurons in the hypothalamus regulate brown adipose tissue and thus contribute to energy expenditure.

Journal of Physiology. 600(4):815-827, 2022.

3．Izawa S, Chowdhury S, Miyazaki T, Mukai Y, Ono D, Inoue R, Ohmura Y, Mizoguchi H, Kimura K, Yoshioka M, Terao A, Kilduff TS, Yamanaka A.

REM sleep-active MCH neurons are involved in forgetting hippocampus-dependent memories.

Science. 365(6459): 1308-1313, 2019.