Obesity and anxiety are public health problems that have no effective cure. Obesity-induced anxiety is also the most common behavioural trait exhibited amongst obese patients, with the mechanisms linking these disorders being poorly understood. The hypothalamus and hippocampus are reciprocally connected, important neurogenic brain regions that could be vital to understanding these disorders. Dietary, physical activity and lifestyle interventions have been shown to be able to enhance neurogenesis within the hippocampus, while the effects thereof within the hypothalamus is yet to be ascertained. This review describes hypothalamic neurogenesis, its impairment in obesity as well as the effect of interventional therapies. Obesity is characterized by a neurogenic shift towards neuropeptide Y neurons, promoting appetite and weight gain. While, nutraceuticals and exercise promote proopiomelanocortin neuron proliferation, causing diminished appetite and reduced weight gain. Through the furthered development of multimodal approaches targeting both these brain regions could hold an even greater therapeutic potential.

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下丘脑神经发生及其对肥胖引起的焦虑症的影响

肥胖和焦虑是无法有效治愈的公共卫生问题。肥胖引起的焦虑也是肥胖患者最常见的行为特征，但人们对这些疾病的相关机制知之甚少。下丘脑和海马体相互连接，是重要的神经源性大脑区域，对理解这些疾病至关重要。饮食、身体活动和生活方式干预已被证明能够增强海马内的神经发生，而其在下丘脑内的影响尚待确定。这篇综述描述了下丘脑神经发生、其对肥胖的损害以及介入治疗的效果。肥胖症的特征是向神经肽 Y 神经元的神经源性转变，促进食欲和体重增加。尽管，营养食品和运动促进阿黑皮素原神经元增殖，导致食欲下降和体重增加减少。通过进一步开发针对这两个大脑区域的多模式方法，可以拥有更大的治疗潜力。