Author
Andras Hajnal
Other affiliations: University of Pécs, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center ...read more
Bio: Andras Hajnal is an academic researcher from Pennsylvania State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Nucleus accumbens & Dopamine. The author has an hindex of 35, co-authored 142 publications receiving 4403 citations. Previous affiliations of Andras Hajnal include University of Pécs & Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
Topics: Nucleus accumbens, Dopamine, Taste, Medicine, Sham feeding
Papers published on a yearly basis
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TL;DR: This is the first demonstration of a quantitative relationship between the concentration-dependent rewarding effect of orosensory stimulation by sucrose during eating and the overflow of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.
Abstract: Although taste can influence meal size and body weight, the neural substrate for these effects remains obscure. Dopamine, particularly in the nucleus accumbens, has been implicated in both natural and nonnatural rewards. To isolate the orosensory effects of taste from possible postingestive consequences, we investigated the quantitative relationship between sham feeding of sucrose and extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens with microdialysis in rats. Sucrose intake linearly increased as a function of concentration (0.03 M, 18.07 ± 2.41 ml; 0.1 M, 30.92 ± 2.60 ml; 0.3 M, 43.28 ± 2.88 ml). Sham feeding also stimulated accumbens dopamine overflow as a function of sucrose solution concentration (0.03 M, 120.76 ± 2.6%; 0.1 M, 140.28 ± 7.8%; 0.3 M, 146.27 ± 5.05%). A second experiment used the same protocol but clamped the amount of sucrose ingested and revealed a similar, concentration-dependent dopamine activation in the nucleus accumbens. This is the first demonstration of a quantitative relationship between the concentration-dependent rewarding effect of orosensory stimulation by sucrose during eating and the overflow of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens. This finding provides new and strong support for accumbens dopamine in the rewarding effect of sucrose.
414 citations
TL;DR: Highlights from disrupted BCATm mice suggest that elevated BCAAs and/or loss of BCAA catabolism in peripheral tissues play an important role in regulating insulin sensitivity and energy expenditure.
313 citations
TL;DR: The results showed release of NAcc DA in response to sucrose licking and the converse, an augmentation of the behavior by uptake blockade, however, failed to prove that tonic, local accumbens D1 and D2 receptor activity influenced this ingestive behavior.
214 citations
TL;DR: Data indicate that, similar to HF/HSD, consumption of an LF/ HSD induces dysbiosis of gut microbiota, increases gut inflammation and alters vagal gut-brain communication, associated with an increase in body fat accumulation.
168 citations
TL;DR: The hypothesis that different sensory modalities produce reward using the same or closely related substrates in the forebrain is supported, as sham feeding of corn oil releases accumbens DA in a manner similar to ingestion of sucrose.
Abstract: Both real and sham feeding of sucrose increase dopamine (DA) overflow in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Fat is another constituent of foods that is inherently preferred by humans and rodents. We exam...
166 citations
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TL;DR: It is suggested that dopamine may be more important to incentive salience attributions to the neural representations of reward-related stimuli and is a distinct component of motivation and reward.
3,833 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a new method for metagenomic biomarker discovery by way of class comparison, tests of biological consistency and effect size estimation is described and validated, which addresses the challenge of finding organisms, genes, or pathways that consistently explain the differences between two or more microbial communities.
Abstract: This study describes and validates a new method for metagenomic biomarker discovery by way of class comparison, tests of biological consistency and effect size estimation. This addresses the challenge of finding organisms, genes, or pathways that consistently explain the differences between two or more microbial communities, which is a central problem to the study of metagenomics. We extensively validate our method on several microbiomes and a convenient online interface for the method is provided at http://huttenhower.sph.harvard.edu/lefse/.
3,060 citations
TL;DR: Findings show that in the context of a dietary pattern that includes high fat consumption, BCAA contributes to development of obesity-associated insulin resistance.
2,611 citations
TL;DR: Dietary supplementation with one or a mixture of these functional AA, which include arginine, cysteine, glutamine, leucine, proline, and tryptophan, may be beneficial for ameliorating health problems at various stages of the life cycle and optimizing efficiency of metabolic transformations to enhance muscle growth, milk production, egg and meat quality and athletic performance.
Abstract: Recent years have witnessed the discovery that amino acids (AA) are not only cell signaling molecules but are also regulators of gene expression and the protein phosphorylation cascade. Additionally, AA are key precursors for syntheses of hormones and low-molecular weight nitrogenous substances with each having enormous biological importance. Physiological concentrations of AA and their metabolites (e.g., nitric oxide, polyamines, glutathione, taurine, thyroid hormones, and serotonin) are required for the functions. However, elevated levels of AA and their products (e.g., ammonia, homocysteine, and asymmetric dimethylarginine) are pathogenic factors for neurological disorders, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular disease. Thus, an optimal balance among AA in the diet and circulation is crucial for whole body homeostasis. There is growing recognition that besides their role as building blocks of proteins and polypeptides, some AA regulate key metabolic pathways that are necessary for maintenance, growth, reproduction, and immunity. They are called functional AA, which include arginine, cysteine, glutamine, leucine, proline, and tryptophan. Dietary supplementation with one or a mixture of these AA may be beneficial for (1) ameliorating health problems at various stages of the life cycle (e.g., fetal growth restriction, neonatal morbidity and mortality, weaning-associated intestinal dysfunction and wasting syndrome, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, the metabolic syndrome, and infertility); (2) optimizing efficiency of metabolic transformations to enhance muscle growth, milk production, egg and meat quality and athletic performance, while preventing excess fat deposition and reducing adiposity. Thus, AA have important functions in both nutrition and health.
2,047 citations
TL;DR: This work constructed a cellular taxonomy of one cortical region, primary visual cortex, in adult mice on the basis of single-cell RNA sequencing and identified 49 transcriptomic cell types, including 23 GABAergic, 19 glutamatergic and 7 non-neuronal types.
Abstract: Nervous systems are composed of various cell types, but the extent of cell type diversity is poorly understood. We constructed a cellular taxonomy of one cortical region, primary visual cortex, in adult mice on the basis of single-cell RNA sequencing. We identified 49 transcriptomic cell types, including 23 GABAergic, 19 glutamatergic and 7 non-neuronal types. We also analyzed cell type-specific mRNA processing and characterized genetic access to these transcriptomic types by many transgenic Cre lines. Finally, we found that some of our transcriptomic cell types displayed specific and differential electrophysiological and axon projection properties, thereby confirming that the single-cell transcriptomic signatures can be associated with specific cellular properties.
1,388 citations