Reciprocal control of the stomach and intestine by viscerosensory neurons in caudal brainstem
- 1University of California, San Francisco
Abstract
Digestion requires precisely timed transit of food through the gastrointestinal tract. Here we show that emptying of food from the stomach occurs in discrete pulses, separated by pauses that allow the proximal duodenum to clear before the next bolus arrives. By combining X-ray fluoroscopy of the gut with calcium imaging of the brainstem, we identify a population of neurons defined by expression of neuropeptide FF (NPFF) that tracks these duodenal dynamics. Stimulation of NPFF neurons induces a coordinated response that inhibits gastric emptying and accelerates intestinal transit, thereby clearing the proximal intestine for the next bolus of food. These neurons also bidirectionally control food intake through cholinergic signaling in the gut. These findings reveal a mechanism by which brainstem transforms the sensory detection of nutrients in the duodenum into the opposing control of the stomach and intestine. They also establish an experimental approach for dissecting gut-brain signaling in behaving animals.
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BibTeX
@misc{dundar2026reciprocal,
title = {{Reciprocal control of the stomach and intestine by viscerosensory neurons in caudal brainstem}},
author = {N. Dundar and I. Alkislar and B. C. Jarvie and H. Namkung and K. Xie and M. Kaur and Q. Li and A. S. Ravi and A. Lopez and A. Spina and L. Qui and T. Ly and J. Oh and K. Yackle and Z. A. Knight},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.21.753299},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.753299v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Reciprocal control of the stomach and intestine by viscerosensory neurons in caudal brainstem
AU - N. Dundar
AU - I. Alkislar
AU - B. C. Jarvie
AU - H. Namkung
AU - K. Xie
AU - M. Kaur
AU - Q. Li
AU - A. S. Ravi
AU - A. Lopez
AU - A. Spina
AU - L. Qui
AU - T. Ly
AU - J. Oh
AU - K. Yackle
AU - Z. A. Knight
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.21.753299
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.753299v1
AB - Digestion requires precisely timed transit of food through the gastrointestinal tract. Here we show that emptying of food from the stomach occurs in discrete pulses, separated by pauses that allow the proximal duodenum to clear before the next bolus arrives. By combining X-ray fluoroscopy of the gut with calcium imaging of the brainstem, we identify a population of neurons defined by expression of neuropeptide FF (NPFF) that tracks these duodenal dynamics. Stimulation of NPFF neurons induces a coordinated response that inhibits gastric emptying and accelerates intestinal transit, thereby clearing the proximal intestine for the next bolus of food. These neurons also bidirectionally control food intake through cholinergic signaling in the gut. These findings reveal a mechanism by which brainstem transforms the sensory detection of nutrients in the duodenum into the opposing control of the stomach and intestine. They also establish an experimental approach for dissecting gut-brain signaling in behaving animals.
ER -