Desynchrony of the mammalian circadian clock has known detrimental metabolic effects, but how synchronous and desynchronous signals are transmitted is unclear. A new study reports that the hepatic vagal afferent nerve (HVAN) transmits signals to the brain that result in changes in food intake and that ablation of the HVAN can prevent aberrant food intake.

“We previously reported defects in the molecular clock that lead to changes in metabolism when circadian REV-ERB nuclear receptors are non-functional in the liver,” says Mitch Lazar, senior author on the paper. “We decided to see if the liver clock has a role in the effects of time-restricted feeding.”

哺乳动物生物钟的不同步已知有害的代谢影响，但同步和同步信号如何传输尚不清楚。一项新的研究报告说，肝迷走神经传入神经 （HVAN） 向大脑传递信号，导致食物摄入发生变化，并且 HVAN 消融可以防止异常的食物摄入。

“我们之前报道了当昼夜节律 REV-ERB 核受体在肝脏中不起作用时，分子钟缺陷会导致新陈代谢发生变化，”该论文的资深作者 Mitch Lazar 说。“我们决定看看肝脏时钟是否在限时喂养的影响中起作用。”