# Neural mechanisms that control the rate of ingestion

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2024 · $483,669

## Abstract

Project Summary
Food intake generates a succession of sensory signals that feedback to regulate appetite. These include the
sight and smell of food; its taste and texture; and the detection of volume and chemical composition in the GI
tract. While the function of these signals has long been studied at the level of behavior, we know little about
how they are integrated in the neural circuits that control hunger and satiety. Here we propose to identify
principles by which sensory feedback during a meal is integrated in the hindbrain to control feeding behavior.
In Aim 1 we investigate motivational and circuit mechanisms by brainstem circuits regulate the consummatory
phase of food intake. In Aim 2, we characterize the role of descending projections from the forebrain. In Aim 3,
we test the hypothesis that local circuits in the brainstem gate the flow of sensory information arising from
different organs. Together, these experiments will reveal how the brain integrates diverse ingestive signals to
enable the moment-by-moment control of feeding behavior

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10781832
- **Project number:** 1R01DK138127-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Zachary A. Knight
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $483,669
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-02-05 → 2027-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10781832

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10781832, Neural mechanisms that control the rate of ingestion (1R01DK138127-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-01 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10781832. Licensed CC0.

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