Why do we feel "full"? Eating changes the brain's astrocytes.

Why do you feel "full" or even "full" after a full meal? Recently, researchers have revealed the brain mechanism of satiety in mice, which involves a series of reactions caused by elevated blood glucose levels.neural circuits in the human brain that control hunger and satiety can alter the connections between these feelings, thereby adjusting eating behavior and maintaining a balance between food intake and calorie consumption. Scientists suspect that this plasticity may be altered by obesity., a researcher at the French Center for scientific research, concluded that these brain circuits are activated during feeding, and then regulate eating behavior, but this activation is not achieved by altering the "connections" of the brain's neural circuits.scientists focused on POMC neurons in the hypothalamus at the bottom of the brain, which can limit food intake and connect to a large number of neurons in other parts of the brain. The connection between these neurons is plastic - they can make connection selection in a short time based on hormone fluctuations.at the same time, they also observed that the neural circuit did not change after normal feeding, but astrocytes, the other neurons related to POMC neurons, actually changed the morphological structure.astrocyte is a kind of nerve cell with astrocyte structure. Scientists initially studied astrocyte because of its supporting effect on neurons. Under normal circumstances, astrocytes encapsulate POMC neurons and limit their activity. Its function is a bit like a "brake pad".after eating, the blood glucose level in the body will rise temporarily. When astrocytes detect the signal, they will contract in less than 1 hour: once this braking mechanism is activated, POMC nerve will be activated, and finally form a feeling of satiety.surprisingly, high-fat food does not lead to structural remodeling of astrocytes. Does this mean that fat food is less effective in satisfying hunger? Scientists are trying to determine whether they trigger satiety through another neural circuit, whether sweeteners have the same effect, or whether they attract brain circuits by providing an addictive sweetness that causes hunger.