Science Ticker Neuroscience

Two sets of neurons turn thirst on and off

woman drinking from water fountain

Two neural groups in the hypothalamus drive the body’s need to quench or not to quench, a study in mice finds. 

Kate Dreyer/Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

By Helen Thompson

Two groups of neurons, each governed by different genes, drive a mouse’s thoughts on thirst, researchers report in the Jan. 26 Nature. Both sets of neurons are found in the hypothalamus, the region of the brain that also regulates hunger, body temperature and sleep.

Optogenetic experiments in mice indicate that one set of neurons triggers the body’s need to take drink, while another set tells the body it’s hydrated and doesn’t need a drink. The findings held even in well hydrated and thirsty mice. The neurons only control thirst, so the hypothalamus could be divided into cells that control specific cravings, the researchers suggest.

Helen Thompson

About Helen Thompson

Helen Thompson is the multimedia editor. She has undergraduate degrees in biology and English from Trinity University and a master’s degree in science writing from Johns Hopkins University.

More Stories from Science News on Neuroscience

  1. A photo of a man standing up from his wheelchair in front of a pond while a woman holds a laptop behind the wheelchair.
    Neuroscience

    A brain implant helped a man with paralysis walk more naturally

    By Simon Makin
  2. Two images of a brain. The image on the left shows a forward-facing brain scan with a purple section in the middle and yellow sections on the bottom, both with red dots scattered throughout the colored sections. The image on the right is a profile view of the same brain with the same colored section.
    Neuroscience

    Brain implants have revealed a signature for chronic pain

    By Laura Sanders
  3. An illustration of tau proteins, in orange, with blue and purple proteins floating around.
    Neuroscience

    A rare mutation helped one man stave off Alzheimer’s for decades

    By Simon Makin
  4. photo of a brain sensor
    Tech

    A flower-shaped soft robot could make brain monitoring less invasive

    By Bob Hirshon
  5. illustration of human heads
    Neuroscience

    Neuroscientists decoded people’s thoughts using brain scans

    By Laura Sanders
  6. An illustration of a blue person from the shoulders up with their head turned in profile and the outline of their brain. There are several different colored lines following the contour of the person.
    Neuroscience

    The classic map of how the human brain manages movement gets an update

    By Nora Bradford
  7. A MRI image of a brain shows regions of cerebrospinal fluid in blue.
    Neuroscience

    Scientists triggered the flow of spinal fluid in the awake brain

    By Simon Makin
  8. An illustration of five people standing around on a cream colored background. Above all of them are multi-colored speech bubbles with the word "Hello" in multiple languages.
    Neuroscience

    Your brain wires itself to match your native language

    By Elise Cutts

From the Nature Index

Paid Content