Orexin Neurons are Promising Target for Medications to Treat Binge Eating

This study was really a proof-of concept for using orexin blockers to reduce binge-like eating in rodents," said the lead study author Dr. Morgan James, post-doctoral research fellow at the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. "Currently there are several orexin-targeting medications in clinical trials or already FDA-approved, so we have begun testing whether these compounds would produce similar results in our rodent model of binge eating." The study team reported their findings this week at the annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior (SSIB), an international group of scientific experts on eating behavior. The researchers also found that the orexin blocker reduced the amount of food consumed during the binge eating episodes, where rats were given unrestricted access to a sweetened fat mixture over a 30 minute period. "Pharmacological treatments are currently limited for patients with eating disorders, so it is really exciting if a novel therapy could expand treatment options for obese individuals with binge eating disorder," said Dr. Nicholas Bello, associate professor of animal sciences in the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University and a senior author of the study. https://www.technologynetworks.com/neuroscience/news/orexin-neurons-are-promising-target-for-medications-to-treat-binge-eating-306396?utm_campaign=Newsletter_TN_BreakingScienceNews&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64530207&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9hj4vY3QGoixJe-v6AjNUlMwFPK7BQz7iqpyr_GLWV8yPZcbdIvJLGykuUgnasRgsJ0bnHqCP8EUmdipRmn1ElMSzpdA&_hsmi=64530207