American journal of physiology. Regulatory, integrative and comparative physiologyMar 29, 2018

Growth hormone receptor in the side brain area influences eating and desire for sweet rewards

GLP-1 Therapies Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 3, 2026

Abstract

Intra-LS ghrelin significantly increased chow intake during the midlight phase.

Ghrelin is implicated as a hunger signal, activating specific receptors in the brain.
Ghrelin receptors in the lateral septum (LS) may play a role in controlling food intake.
Administration of ghrelin to the LS increased food consumption, suggesting its impact on feeding behavior.
Blocking GHSRs in the LS reduced food intake before dark onset, indicating their involvement in feeding regulation.
Ghrelin in the dorsal subdivision of the LS enhanced motivation for food rewards, as shown by increased operant responding for sucrose.
These findings indicate that the LS is a significant site for ghrelin signaling in food intake control.

Simplified

The hormone ghrelin promotes eating and is widely considered to be a hunger signal. Ghrelin receptors, growth hormone secretagogue receptors (GHSRs), are found in a number of specific regions throughout the brain, including the lateral septum (LS), an area not traditionally associated with the control of feeding. Here we investigated whether GHSRs in the LS play a role in the control of food intake. We examined the feeding effects of ghrelin and the GHSR antagonists ([d-Lys]-growth hormone-releasing peptide-6 and JMV-2959) at doses subthreshold for effect when delivered to the lateral ventricle. Intra-LS ghrelin significantly increased chow intake during the midlight phase, suggesting that pharmacological activation of LS GHSRs promotes feeding. Conversely, GHSR antagonist delivered to the LS shortly before dark onset significantly reduced chow intake. These data support the hypothesis that exogenous and endogenous stimulation of GHSRs in the LS influence feeding. Ghrelin is known to affect motivation for food, and the dorsal subdivision of LS (dLS) has been shown to play a role in motivation. Thus, we investigated the role of dLS GHSRs in motivation for food reward by examining operant responding for sucrose on a progressive ratio (PR) schedule. Intra-dLS ghrelin increased PR responding for sucrose, whereas blockade of LS GHSRs did not affect responding in either a fed or fasted state. Together these findings for the first time substantiate the LS as a site of action for ghrelin signaling in the control of food intake. 3

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Growth hormone receptor in the side brain area influences eating and desire for sweet rewards

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