Fig. 2.

Optogenetic activation of ovBNST PKC-δ neurons suppresses feeding. a Stereotaxic injection of Cre-dependent AAV to express ChR2-EYFP or EYFP in ovBNST PKC-δ neurons. b Brain slice electrophysiological recordings show that ovBNST PKC-δ neurons expressing ChR2 can be activated by light pulses at different frequencies. Blue dots indicate 2-ms light pulses. c, d Food intake was suppressed in both fed (c) and fasted (d) animals when ovBNST PKC-δ neurons were light activated. Unpaired t-tests, t(12) = 6.74 (c), t(17) = 3.71 (d, 5 Hz), t(18) = 4.63 (d, 10 Hz), t(28) = 6.14, (d, 15 Hz), n = 7 (c) and n = 10, 10, and 15 animals for 5 Hz, 10 Hz, and 15 Hz, respectively, in EYFP and ChR2 group (d). e–g The latency to eat (e), bout number (f), and the total feeding time (g) in fasted animals. Unpaired t-tests, t(18) = 4.47 (e), t(18) = 2.23 (f), t(18) = 2.18 (g), n = 10 animals in each group. h–j Feeding behavior was suppressed when mice were in their home cages. Raster plots (i) show that feeding bout duration was decreased in mice expressing ChR2 (green) but not in mice expressing EYFP (gray) in response to 15 Hz light stimulation (blue). Unpaired t-test, t(33) = 6.40 (j), n = 10 and 25 for EYFP and ChR2, respectively. Data are mean ± s.e.m. Scale bars, 200 µm. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001. Source data are provided as a separate file