A team of biomedical researchers from the United States and the United Kingdom identified a region in the brain that participates in stimulating the feeling of fullness. The research team sought to reveal parts of the brain affected by weight loss medications. They discovered that medications like Ozempic imitate a hormone called glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), which the body uses to regulate blood sugar levels. The researchers noted that patients taking the drug tend to lose weight, which they attributed to a decrease in appetite.
The team assessed the sense of fullness in volunteers suffering from obesity before and after consuming a plate of fried chicken. They found that participants who took "liraglutide" (a drug similar to Ozempic) felt full both before and after eating. To determine the brain region responsible for these sensations, the researchers focused on the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH), a part of the brain involved in feelings of hunger or fullness, which is mediated by neurons with GLP-1 receptors.
The researchers described two groups of neurons associated with the feeling of fullness: one before the meal and the other after eating. By artificially stimulating the neurons while presenting food to rats and again after consumption, the researchers were able to concentrate on the neurons specifically responsible for generating feelings of fullness, both before and after the meal. They then demonstrated that GLP-1 medications act on both types of neurons, which explains why they work so effectively.
