In plain words
The area postrema is a small region at the base of the brain. It sits outside the usual blood-brain barrier, so it can sense chemicals in the blood. It helps trigger nausea and vomiting, and it can make certain foods feel unappealing. Researchers think it plays a role in . A hormone called , which rises in pregnancy, acts on this area in research studies. Researchers have proposed that this pathway protects the body from harmful food. It is not a sign that something is wrong with you. Nausea that keeps you from eating or drinking, or that leads to weight loss, needs a call to your provider.
The deeper version
The area postrema is a circumventricular organ lacking a complete blood-brain barrier, which allows direct sensing of circulating signals. It sits adjacent to the nucleus of the solitary tract, and together they form the brainstem emetic center. GDF15, a stress-responsive cytokine elevated in pregnancy, acts on the receptor expressed in the area postrema and nucleus of the solitary tract, producing nausea, aversion, and reduced intake. This pathway is conserved across mammals as a response to toxins and tissue stress. Fejzo and colleagues (2018, Nature Communications) associated placental GDF15 with . The controversy concerns whether the pathway is an adaptive protective response or a mechanism that overreaches in some pregnancies.
Where it comes up
- Nausea and vomiting in pregnancyPregnancy: Your Body
- Eating when nothing sounds goodPregnancy: Eating
What mothers here say about area postrema
No one has posted under this term yet.
Sources
- Fejzo MS and colleagues, Nature Communications — Placenta and appetite genes GDF15 and IGFBP7 are associated with hyperemesis gravidarum (2018)