A food-sensitive olfactory circuit drives anticipatory satiety

Abstract

Food sensory perception has emerged as a potent regulator of specialized feeding circuits; yet, the consequences on feeding behaviour and the underlying neuronal basis remain poorly understood. Here, we reveal a sensory pathway that co-ordinately integrates food odours to control forthcoming nutrient intake in male mice. Unbiased whole-brain mapping of food odour-induced brain activity revealed a potent activation of the medial septum (MS), where food odours selectively activate MS glutamatergic neurons (MS^VGLUT2). Activity dynamics of MS^VGLUT2 neurons uncovered a biphasic modulation of their neuronal activity with a transient activation after detection of food odours and a long-lasting inhibition following food ingestion, independent of the caloric value and identity of the food. MS^VGLUT2 neurons receive direct projections from the olfactory bulb (OB) and acute optogenetic stimulation of OB→MS projections selectively before food ingestion decreased feeding in lean mice. However, acute OB→MS optogenetic stimulation in diet-induced obese mice failed to reduce feeding, suggesting the involvement of this pathway in calorie-rich diet-induced hyperphagia and obesity development. Altogether, our study uncovered a sensory circuit by which the organism integrates olfactory food cues to prime satiety at the outset of a meal.