Neonatal ghrelin (gut-derived hormone) directly influences development in the part of the brain related to appetite and the regulation of metabolism.

Mice studies have enabled the researchers to identify the physiological and neurobiological importance of ghrelin during early life. Researchers blocked the hormone soon after birth, which resulted in more axonal projections in the arcuate nucleus and caused lifelong metabolic disturbances, including obesity and diabetes. In another experiment, they increased ghrelin levels during this key developmental period and found that it impaired the normal growth of arcuate projections and caused metabolic dysfunction.
Principal investigator of the study Dr. Sebastien G. Bouret said, "Our study underlines the importance of maintaining a healthy hormonal balance - including ghrelin - during early life, to ensure proper development of brain-feeding centers. The correct timing and amount of both hormones is necessary for normal development of neural circuits in the hypothalamus. A better understanding of the relationship between ghrelin levels early in life and the development of disorders such as Prader-Willi syndrome or childhood obesity will be crucial as we seek to develop interventional studies to treat and, hopefully, reverse symptoms of metabolic diseases."
The study will appear online in The Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Source-Medindia