Duck cerebellum participates in regulation of food intake via the neurotransmitters serotonin and neuropeptide Y.

Two important neurotransmitters, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) and neuropeptide Y (NPY), have been confirmed to be involved in food intake regulation. To clarify whether the cerebellum participates in modulation of food intake through these two neurotransmitters, we investigated the distribution and expression levels of 5-HT and NPY in cerebellum of the duck. Our results showed that 5-HT and NPY were distributed only at the Purkinje cell layer of the duck cerebellum. Moreover, the expression level of 5-HT in fasted (4 h) and tryptophan (100-200 mg/kg)-treated ducks was significantly higher than that in control animals (P<0.01), whereas the expression of NPY was significantly decreased (P<0.01). Therefore, our results indicated that inhibitory regulation of food intake respectively increased and decreased cerebellar 5-HT and NPY in the duck.