Skip to content
DraconiticResearch
Search Sources API
186,625 studies31 sourcesUpdated 51 min ago
Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Metabolites

Abdominal Obesity, Brain Glymphatic Function, and LH–dlHPC Appetite Regulation: Current Evidence, Potential Links, and Implications for Metabolic Health

  • Siwen Zhao1
  • Qifu Li2
  • Yuanzheng Deng1
  • Wenjun Li1
  • Baoping Yin1
  • Qiaogu Zhang1
  • Chenchen Cao1
  • Xinghe Zhang1
  • Taipin Guo1
  1. 1School of Second Clinical Medicine, Yunnan University of Chinese Medicine, Kunming 650500, China
  2. 2College of Acupuncture and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China
Open at sourceDOICite

Abstract

Abdominal obesity is closely associated with adverse metabolic outcomes, but how visceral fat accumulation affects central feeding regulation remains incompletely understood. This narrative review integrates research on visceral adipose tissue (VAT), brain glymphatic processes, and lateral hypothalamus–dorsolateral hippocampus (LH–dlHPC) feeding regulation to examine potential links among peripheral metabolic signals, the brain microenvironment, and circuit function. Human imaging studies suggest associations of obesity-related phenotypes with changes in LH–dlHPC connectivity and glymphatic imaging markers; animal experiments provide mechanistic clues to adipose-derived signals affecting hippocampal synaptic plasticity. We propose that VAT-related inflammatory and extracellular vesicle signals may act on barrier and perivascular glial interfaces, contributing to feeding circuit changes through altered local transport and microenvironmental homeostasis. Current evidence supports parts of this model but has not established a causal relationship in which altered transport mediates dysfunction in specific feeding circuits. We also discuss the influences of sex, hormonal status, and sleep, and outline longitudinal and interventional approaches combining assessments of fat distribution, regional transport, circuit function, and feeding behavior to test these mechanisms and their implications for metabolic health.

Related

  1. Histone Acetylation in Bone Remodeling: Metabolic Regulation, Lineage-Specific Chromatin Programs, and Therapeutic Implications
    Jianhong Dong, Xianji Wei, Yifan Qian +2
    CellsPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Molecular biology & gene regulationCrossref
  2. Metabolic regulation of ATM-KAT8-RPA1 axis in DNA damage repair and chemoresistance
    Xin Ding, Jie Yang, Jinhuan Wu +14
    iSciencePeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Molecular biology & gene regulationOncologyCell PressCrossref
  3. Roadmap for inferring metabolic regulation using multiomics, machine learning, and genome-scale modeling.
    Ryan Schildcrout, Nicole Rhoads, Sriram Chandrasekaran
    Npj metabolic health and diseasePeer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDFull textMolecular biology & gene regulationEurope PMC
  4. Progress in the Study of B-Cell Immune Metabolic Regulation Mechanisms in Exercise-Induced Fatigue: A Narrative Review
    Li Yi, Huier Xiang, Guolin Gan +5
    MetabolitesPeer-reviewedCC BY 4.0Full textProteomics & metabolomicsCrossrefEurope PMC
  5. Gut dysbiosis and microbial metabolites in atopic dermatitis: implications for immune regulation along gut-skin axis
    Khushbakhat Alia, Hira Khan, Hamna Muzaffar +7
    Frontiers in MicrobiologyPeer-reviewedCC BYFull text6 citedMolecular biology & gene regulationOpenAlex

Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhao2026abdominal,
  title = {{Abdominal Obesity, Brain Glymphatic Function, and LH–dlHPC Appetite Regulation: Current Evidence, Potential Links, and Implications for Metabolic Health}},
  author = {Siwen Zhao and Qifu Li and Yuanzheng Deng and Wenjun Li and Baoping Yin and Qiaogu Zhang and Chenchen Cao and Xinghe Zhang and Taipin Guo},
  journal = {Metabolites},
  year = {2026},
  month = nov,
  doi = {10.3390/metabo16110841},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/16/11/841},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Abdominal Obesity, Brain Glymphatic Function, and LH–dlHPC Appetite Regulation: Current Evidence, Potential Links, and Implications for Metabolic Health
AU  - Siwen Zhao
AU  - Qifu Li
AU  - Yuanzheng Deng
AU  - Wenjun Li
AU  - Baoping Yin
AU  - Qiaogu Zhang
AU  - Chenchen Cao
AU  - Xinghe Zhang
AU  - Taipin Guo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/11/01
JO  - Metabolites
DO  - 10.3390/metabo16110841
UR  - https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/16/11/841
AB  - Abdominal obesity is closely associated with adverse metabolic outcomes, but how visceral fat accumulation affects central feeding regulation remains incompletely understood. This narrative review integrates research on visceral adipose tissue (VAT), brain glymphatic processes, and lateral hypothalamus–dorsolateral hippocampus (LH–dlHPC) feeding regulation to examine potential links among peripheral metabolic signals, the brain microenvironment, and circuit function. Human imaging studies suggest associations of obesity-related phenotypes with changes in LH–dlHPC connectivity and glymphatic imaging markers; animal experiments provide mechanistic clues to adipose-derived signals affecting hippocampal synaptic plasticity. We propose that VAT-related inflammatory and extracellular vesicle signals may act on barrier and perivascular glial interfaces, contributing to feeding circuit changes through altered local transport and microenvironmental homeostasis. Current evidence supports parts of this model but has not established a causal relationship in which altered transport mediates dysfunction in specific feeding circuits. We also discuss the influences of sex, hormonal status, and sleep, and outline longitudinal and interventional approaches combining assessments of fat distribution, regional transport, circuit function, and feeding behavior to test these mechanisms and their implications for metabolic health.
SN  - 2218-1989
ER  -