A hunger protein reverses anorexia symptoms in mice

An appetite-stimulating protein can reverse anorexia in mice.

Mice with lack of appetite and weight loss — symptoms similar to people with anorexia — that were genetically tweaked to secrete a protein called ACBP ate more food and weighed more than anorexic animals with an ACBP deficit, researchers report August 14 in Science Translational Medicine. The finding points to a potential treatment target for people with the eating disorder.

“Anorexia is a whole brain and body illness” that is difficult to treat, says psychiatrist and neuroscientist Rachel Ross, who wasn’t involved with the new work. “One of the major challenges is that the brain of a person with anorexia

→ Continue reading at Science News

More from author

Related posts

Advertisment

Latest posts

Stonehenge’s mysterious Altar Stone had roots in Scotland

Stonehenge had a hard Scottish heart, a new study suggests. The ancient site’s central stone, a large slab known as the Altar Stone, consists...

Scientists want to send endangered species’ cells to the moon

As more and more species near extinction, scientists have been collecting samples from animals, plants and other creatures and storing them in biorepositories across...

This Gargantuan Lab Simulates Blasting Satellites Into Space

Satellites go through a lot. As they hurtle around our planet at up to 17,000 miles an hour they must cope with the extreme...