Lipolysis sensation by white fat afferent nerves triggers brown fat thermogenesis

Objective Metabolic challenges, such as a cold environment, stimulate sympathetic neural efferent activity to white adipose tissue (WAT) to drive lipolysis, thereby increasing the availability of free fatty acids as one source of fuel for brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis. WAT is also innervated by sensory nerve fibers that network to metabolic brain areas; moreover, activation of these afferents is reported to increase sympathetic nervous system outflow. However, the endogenous stimuli sufficient to drive WAT afferents during metabolic challenges as well as their functional relation to BAT thermogenesis remain unknown.