Brain responsible for weight loss

In a world where the fight against excess weight has become part of the lives of millions of people, drugs like semaglutide have taken an important place. They do help to lose weight, but the results are often followed by side effects such as nausea, loss of muscle mass and general malaise.

A scientific team from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg decided to find out exactly how this drug affects the brain. They monitored the activity of nerve cells in mice to see which areas of the brain are responsible for appetite suppression and fat burning.

During the experiment, the researchers were able not only to see which areas of the brain are activated by semaglutide, but also to selectively stimulate these cells without administering the drug itself. The effect was striking: the animals ate less and lost weight – just as they did when the drug was administered.

Moreover, when these cells were switched off, the effect of the drug was dramatically weakened. At the same time, the side effects, such as nausea and muscle loss, persisted. This allowed the authors to draw an important conclusion: a certain group of neurons is directly related to the beneficial effects of the drug, but does not participate in the development of adverse reactions.

The finding gives hope that in the future it may be possible to develop more targeted treatments – ones that retain efficacy but minimise discomfort.

These key nerve cells were found in a region of the brain called the dorsal complex of the vagus nerve. This is where an important part of the body’s response to treatment – not only suppressing hunger, but also redistributing energy – was found to form.

The authors note that the significance of the discovery goes beyond just fighting excess weight. Semaglutide and similar drugs are now being actively tested for other conditions, including eating disorders, addictions and even neurodegenerative diseases.

Understanding what mechanisms are switched on in the brain by such drugs opens the door to the development of smarter drugs. The more we know about how these drugs work, the easier it is to make them safer, more effective and more precise.