Daniëlle van de Lisdonk1,2 and Bo Li1,3,4,5,6 1Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA; 2Center for Neuroscience, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1098 XH, the Netherlands; 3Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China; 4School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China; 5Institute of Biology, Westlake Institute for Advanced Study, Hangzhou 310024, Zhejiang, China ↵6Corresponding authors: blicshl.edu, libowestlake.edu.cn Abstract

The dorsal vagal complex contains three structures: the area postrema, the nucleus tractus solitarii, and the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus. These structures are tightly linked, both anatomically and functionally, and have important yet distinct roles in not only conveying peripheral bodily signals to the rest of the brain but in the generation of behavioral and physiological responses. Reports on the new discoveries in these structures were highlights of the symposium. In this outlook, we focus on the roles of the area postrema in mediating brain–body interactions and its potential utility as a therapeutic target, especially in cancer cachexia.