The molecular, cellular and circuit changes involved in the metabolic-olfactory feedback loop

Our sense of smell is heightened by hunger and suppressed by food consumption. When hungry, odours are easier to detect and food odours appear more pleasant, stimulating food consumption. Conversely, when energy levels are high, odour sensitivity is lowered.

Surprisingly the sense of smell plays a larger role in metabolism; for example, diabetic risk factors such as fat mass, insulin sensitivity and food consumption are affected by the sense of smell. We do not yet understand how the brain circuits involved in processing odours influence such metabolic factors. Such knowledge could lead to novel therapies that target the sense of smell to improve metabolic health.

Obesity and diabetes are leading causes of preventable death with the rates increasing in adults as well as children. Therefore, any therapy that can reduce the rates of these metabolic disorders will have major health, societal and economic benefits.

This project will use cutting-edge techniques to reveal the metabolic-induced circuit changes occurring in the the brain region that process odours. The molecular mechanisms through which this modulation occurs will be identified, then using state-of-the-art technology we will determine whether drugs that target the identified molecules will prove useful as therapies to improve metabolic health.