ArticleMolecular metabolism2025
FGF21 acts in the brain to drive macronutrient-specific changes in behavioral motivation and brain reward signaling.
Article in Molecular metabolism, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed.
- Macronutrient mixtures and interactions in health and disease.Nature reviews. Endocrinology · 2026Review
- Protein Decoys, Alcohol, and Energy Intake: Testing a Mechanistic-Ecological Model.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Review
- Adipose FGF21 signalling mediates the anti-senescence effects of protein restriction.The Journal of physiology · 2026Article
- Gestational diabetes as an inter-generational cardiometabolic risk factor: spotlight on emerging exerkines.Cardiovascular diabetology · 2026Review
- Hepatic FGF21 is not required for fasting metabolism but guides protein appetite post energy depletion.EMBO reports · 2026Article
- FGF21 signals through hindbrain neurons to alter food intake and energy expenditure during dietary protein restriction.Cell reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Gut Microbiome Mediates the Causal Link Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Dietary Preferences: A Mendelian Randomization Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Brain Nutrient Sensing: A Unifying Framework.Annual review of physiology · 2026Review
- Activation of dopamine D4 receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell increases motivation for palatable food and homeostatic feeding, whereas systemic blockade reduces feeding behavior in rats.Frontiers in psychology · 2026Article
- Glycerol-3-phosphate activates ChREBP, FGF21 transcription and lipogenesis in citrin deficiency.Nature metabolism · 2025Article
- Brain amino acid sensing for organismal amino acid homeostasis.Open biology · 2025Review
- Adipokines as Cardioprotective Factors: BAT Steps Up to the Plate.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Distinct genetic signals at the FGF21 locus complicate studies of FGF21's role in diet regulation using human cohort data.Molecular metabolism · 2024Article
- FGF21 as a mediator of adaptive changes in food intake and macronutrient preference in response to protein restriction.Neuropharmacology · 2024Review
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveDietary protein restriction induces adaptive changes in food preference, increasing protein consumption over carbohydrates or fat. We investigated whether motivation and reward signaling underpin these preferences. METHODS AND
resultsIn an operant task, protein-restricted male mice responded more for liquid protein rewards, but not carbohydrate, fat, or sweet rewards compared to non-restricted mice. When the number of responses required to access protein reward varied, protein-restricted mice exhibited higher operant responses at moderate to high response requirements. The protein restriction-induced increase in operant responding for protein was absent in Fgf21-KO mice and mice with neuron-specific deletion of the FGF21 co-receptor beta-Klotho (Klb
conclusionThese data suggest that the increased FGF21 during protein restriction acts in the brain to induce a protein-specific appetite by specifically enhancing the reward value of protein-containing foods and the motivation to consume them.
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