Abstract
Mammals feel thirsty or an appetite for salt when the correct balance between water and sodium in the body fluid has been disrupted, but little is known about the mechanism in the brain that controls salt homeostasis. It has been postulated that the existence of both an osmoreceptor and a specific sodium receptor is essential if the experimental data are to be encompassed1,2. Several candidate osmoreceptors have been identified3,4,5, and here we show that the Nax channel in the circumventricular organs (CVO) is a probable candidate for the specific sodium receptor.
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Acknowledgements
We thank T. Mohri for technical advice and comments on the manuscript; M. Yasuda, A. Tozaki and C. Egusa for technical assistance; and A. Kodama for secretarial assistance. This study was supported by grants-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and from the Japan Science and Technology Corporation (CREST).
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Hiyama, T., Watanabe, E., Ono, K. et al. Nax channel involved in CNS sodium-level sensing. Nat Neurosci 5, 511–512 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0602-856
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nn0602-856
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