ATP-mediated glucosensing by hypothalamic tanycytes

Non‐technical summary  The hypothalamus contains key neural circuits involved in the control of feeding and energy balance. Stimulated by the inexorable rise of obesity, there has been intense study of these neural circuits. However, the possible role of non‐neuronal cells in the brain has not been extensively considered. We now demonstrate that hypothalamic tanycytes, cells that lie at the interface between the ventricular cerebrospinal fluid and the brain parenchyma, respond to both neuron‐derived and circulating agents that signal energy status and arousal. Our study therefore suggests that tanycytes should now be considered as active signalling cells in the brain capable of responding to several types of input and having the potential to participate in the control of energy balance and feeding.