Spatial Transcriptomics of the Hypothalamic Nuclei in a Non-Human Primate Model of Obesity: Implications for Neuroendocrine Anatomy in Nigerian Adults

The hypothalamus is the primary neuroendocrine regulator of energy balance, appetite, and metabolic homeostasis, integrating peripheral hormonal signals through distinct nuclei including the arcuate, ventromedial, paraventricular, and lateral hypothalamic areas. Obesity, which is rising in urban Nigerian populations due to nutritional and lifestyle transition, is associated with hypothalamic inflammation, neuronal loss, and disrupted neuroendocrine signalling. However, the spatial transcriptomic organisation of hypothalamic nuclei in a model of diet-induced obesity has not been characterised at single-cell resolution. This study aims to apply spatial transcriptomics using the 10x Genomics Visium platform to characterise cell-type-specific gene expression within hypothalamic nuclei in a vervet monkey model of high-fat diet-induced obesity, relevant to neuroendocrine anatomy in African populations. Spatial transcriptomics maps will be co-registered with cytoarchitectural atlas data derived from Nissl staining and immunohistochemistry for hypothalamic neuropeptides including neuropeptide Y, pro-opiomelanocortin, and agouti-related protein. Cell-type deconvolution algorithms will resolve glial and neuronal contributions. The spatial transcriptome generated will represent an original contribution to neuroendocrine anatomy applicable to understanding hypothalamic pathology in obesity-related metabolic disease in Nigerian and West African adults.

Keywords: spatial transcriptomics, hypothalamus, obesity, neuroendocrine, non-human primate