Penn Researchers Trace an Amylin Brain Circuit From a Reward-Linked Brainstem Region That Curbs Eating in Mice and Rats
A University of Pennsylvania psychiatry team reported in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism on October 6, 2026 that neurons carrying the amylin-responsive calcitonin receptor in the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, a brainstem region tied to reward and motivation, project to the ventral tegmental area in both mice and rats. Knocking down the receptor along that pathway weakened the appetite-suppressing effect of injected salmon calcitonin, which activates amylin receptors, and chemically switching the pathway on reduced food intake and body weight in mice. The findings come from rodents and help explain how amylin signaling reduces food intake.