Food intake enhances hippocampal sharp wave-ripples

Effective regulation of energy metabolism is critical for survival. Metabolic control involves various nuclei within the hypothalamus, which receive information about the body’s energy state and coordinate appropriate responses to maintain homeostasis, such as thermogenesis, pancreatic insulin secretion, and food-seeking behaviors. It has recently been found that the hippocampus, a brain region traditionally associated with memory and spatial navigation, is also involved in metabolic regulation. Specifically, hippocampal sharp wave ripples (SWRs), which are high-frequency neural oscillations supporting memory consolidation and foraging decisions, have been shown to influence peripheral glucose metabolism. However, whether SWRs are enhanced by recent feeding–when the need for glucose metabolism increases, and if so, whether feeding-dependent modulation of SWRs is communicated to other brain regions involved in metabolic regulation, remains unknown. To address these gaps, we recorded SWRs from the dorsal CA1 region of the hippocampus of mice during sleep sessions before and after consumption of meals of varying caloric values. We found that SWRs occurring during sleep are significantly enhanced following food intake, with the magnitude of enhancement being dependent on the caloric content of the meal. This pattern occurred under both food-deprived and ad libitum feeding conditions. Moreover, we demonstrate that GABAergic neurons in the lateral hypothalamus, which are known to regulate food intake, exhibit a robust SWR-triggered increase in activity. These findings identify the satiety state as a factor modulating SWRs and suggest that hippocampal-lateral hypothalamic communication is a potential mechanism by which SWRs could modulate peripheral metabolism and food intake.