Prefrontal-medullary circuitry is necessary for sex-specific responses to metabolic stress in rats

Clicks: 1
ID: 317550
2026
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal

Ranked #301 of 303 articles by views in american journal of physiology endocrinology and metabolism

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 303 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Abstract
Chronic stress increases risk for metabolic disorders, including diabetes mellitus. Additionally, projections from the infralimbic cortex (IL) to the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) regulate endocrine stress responses. However, the neurobiological basis for chronic stress effects on glucose homeostasis has not been identified. The current study tests the hypothesis that the IL-RVLM circuit is necessary to prevent glucose intolerance. Accordingly, male and female rats with Cre-dependent expression of tetanus toxin light chain (TeLC) to inhibit neurotransmitter release from RVLM-projecting IL neurons were subject to chronic variable stress (CVS) or remained as No CVS controls. Animals were then acutely challenged with an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test (GTT). Endocrine metabolic function was evaluated during GTT via time courses of glucose, insulin, glucagon, and corticosterone. In No CVS females expressing TeLC, inhibition of IL-RVLM circuit signaling impaired glucose tolerance characterized by elevated glucose and decreased insulin sensitivity. Following chronic stress, females had impaired glucoregulation characterized by decreased glucose clearance and elevated corticosterone. When combined with TeLC, chronically-stressed females showed shifts in the ratio of insulin to glucagon compared to CVS GFP females, suggesting circuit function impacts the pancreatic mechanisms mediating glucose homeostasis during chronic stress. In No CVS males, TeLC increased glucagon only. However, CVS TeLC males had impaired glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity, and decreased corticosterone. These data indicate that the IL-RVLM circuit mediates glucoregulation in a manner dependent on both sex and stress history. Collectively, the IL-RVLM circuit is necessary for the sex-specific maintenance of glucose homeostasis following chronic stress.
Reference Key
openalex_W7164884041 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Carley Dearing, Ema Lukinic, Carlie McCartney, Sebastian A. Pace, Brent Myers
Journal american journal of physiology endocrinology and metabolism
Year 2026
DOI
10.1210/endocr/bqag071
URL
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.