Speaker
Description
Hunger or malnutrition results in insufficient caloric intake, triggering profound physiological changes that can culminate in organ damage or death. To prevent this, organisms may engage in maladaptive food intake, consuming food sources that are normally avoided due to their poor quality or potential harm. However, the underlying neurophysiological and metabolic mechanisms that drive such a survival-orientated, yet risky feeding behaviour remain poorly understood. Our project investigates how brain-body communication shifts to promote maladaptive food intake under nutrient stress. Using Drosophla, we aim to characterize the metabolic signatures, endocrine factors, and neurophysiological pathways that enable this context-dependent regulation of feeding behaviour. Our findings identify adipokinetic hormone as a metabolic trigger that, via octopamine-mediated neuromodulation, alters brain body communication to promote maladaptive food intake and thereby compensate for energy deficits.
