A newly discovered process indicates that the relationship between the brain and body fat is deeper ingrained than previously thought, as the composition of body fat appears to send signals to the brain relating to stress management and metabolic rate. Researchers published findings in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, detailing the glucocorticoid receptor in fat tissue that were found to regulate energy balance and stress response in a mouse study. “It moved our understanding of stress control to include other parts of the body. Before this, everyone thought that the regulation of stress was mainly due to the brain. It’s not just in the brain,” explained the study’s lead researcher. “This study suggests that stress regulation occurs on a much larger scale, including body systems controlling metabolism, such as fat.” The research could augment current understanding of fat-to-brain pathways, possibly assisting in the development of drugs targeting the results of long-term stress. To learn more about this study, click here.