Neuronal Control of Brown Fat Activity

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) activation reduces body fat and metabolic disorders by the enhanced combustion of lipids and glucose into heat. The thermogenic activity of brown adipocytes is primarily driven by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and controlled by the brain. In this review, we present recent advances in understanding how cues, such as temperature, light, and proteins, modulate the activity of brown fat by acting on the various hypothalamic nuclei. Given that activated BAT has a high capacity to take up and burn fatty acids (FAs) and glucose, pharmacological stimulation of brown fat in humans by either targeting the hypothalamus or mimicking outflow of the sympathetic nervous system might help improve glucose metabolism and insulin sensitivity, and also lower body fat.

TrendsBrown fat thermogenesis is primarily driven by the sympathetic nervous system.Multiple hypothalamic nuclei are crucially involved in regulating brown fat activity. This underscores the physiological importance of brown fat for the body.Cold exposure increases rodent and human brown fat activity, an effect that is efficiently mimicked by β3 adrenergic receptor agonists.Activation of brown fat protects from obesity and related disorders.