A groundbreaking study published in Nature has revealed a brain circuit that directly links stress to increased glucose production, offering new insights into the development of type 2 diabetes.
The circuit, running from the medial amygdala to the liver, is designed to provide energy during acute stress—but chronic stress and a high-fat diet may disrupt this process and contribute to disease.
This is the first study to demonstrate that the medial amygdala—a brain region primarily known for processing emotions—also controls blood glucose.
Traditionally, blood glucose regulation was thought to be managed by homeostatic centers like the hypothalamus and brain stem. This discovery represents a significant shift in our understanding of how stress impacts bodily health.
Researchers studied mice under various types of stress, such as social and visual stress. All forms led to increased activity in the medial amygdala, which in turn caused a sharp rise in blood glucose.
Even when stress was artificially induced by activating this brain region—without any stressful experience—glucose levels still rose, confirming the brain’s role in the metabolic response.
The researchers mapped a pathway from the medial amygdala through the hypothalamus and down to the liver. Activating this neural circuit triggered a dramatic increase in glucose release from the liver—almost doubling output. The process illustrates how the brain sends direct signals to the liver in response to stress.
When mice were repeatedly stressed and fed a fatty diet, the circuit became desensitized. This led to long-term elevated blood glucose levels, even without ongoing stress, pushing the mice toward diabetes. Repeated stress appears to break the body’s ability to properly regulate glucose through this pathway.
The findings could transform how we prevent and treat type 2 diabetes, particularly for people living with high stress levels. By targeting the amygdala-hypothalamus-liver pathway, new therapies could be developed to help stabilize blood glucose and reduce diabetes risk.
More research is needed to better understand the specific neural cells involved, how stress alters gene expression within this pathway, and whether stress reduction can reverse these changes. Scientists hope this work leads to not only better diabetes treatment, but also broader strategies to address the health impacts of chronic stress.
“The impact of stress on diabetes is enormous,” says Dr. Stanley. “We now know the amygdala doesn’t just control emotional responses, but also plays a key role in the body’s metabolic reactions. Addressing social stressors could be a powerful tool in improving public health.”
If you care about diabetes, please read studies about This drug combo can treat type 2 diabetes in the long run effectively and findings of Eating fewer than 3 meals a day may help reduce risk of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
For more about diabetes, please read studies about How to choosing the right fruits for type 2 diabetes and findings of New higher dose diabetes drug promises better blood sugar control and weight loss.
The study is published in Nature.
Copyright © 2025 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
