PLoS Biology November 25, 2025

Oxytocin neurons drive melanocortin circuit maturation via vesicle release during a neonatal critical period

by Pierre-Yves Barelle, Fabienne Schaller, Soyoung Park, Emilie Caron, Jessica Klucznik, Phillipe Ciofi, Françoise Muscatelli, Sebastien G. Bouret The hypothalamus is crucial for regulating essential bodily functions, including energy balance. It is an exceedingly complex and heterogeneous brain region that contains a variety of neuronal systems that are interconnected with each other. Among these, the melanocortin system, which comprises pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) and agouti-related peptide (