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A bottom-up septal inhibitory circuit mediates anticipatory control of drinking.
Authors:
Lingyu Xu, Yuhao Sun, Chenyuan Huang, Yanrong Zheng, Jialu Chen, Xiaolong Ma, Qiujie Shi, Mengting Liu, Xiaoyun Qiu, Qikun Zhao, Chenshu Gao, Jie Liao, Yi Wang & Zhong Chen
Publication:
Nature Neuroscience
Publication Date:
22/09/2025
Recent research has identified a critical neural pathway that helps animals regulate drinking behavior before changes in blood osmolality, known as anticipatory thirst satiation. This involves an inhibitory GABAergic pathway from the medial septum (MS) to the subfornical organ (SFO), which prevents overhydration by signaling when enough water has been consumed. MS's GABAergic neurons encode water-satiation signals by integrating cues from the oral cavity and gastrointestinal signals, with inputs from the parabrachial nucleus processed before being sent to SFO neurons. This study reveals a multisensory circuit that fine-tunes drinking behavior, enhancing our understanding of how the brain maintains fluid balance and avoids overhydration risks.