Area postrema syndrome (APS), characterized by uncontrollable nausea, vomiting and hiccups, is a well-known clinical manifestation of the demyelinating autoimmune disease neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Until now, the mechanisms that underlie the development of APS have been unclear, but a new study presented at the 2025 American Neurological Association Annual Meeting (13–16 September 2025, Baltimore, MD, USA) indicates that the condition is related to elevated levels of the gut hormone glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and its receptor GLP-1R.

In the study, which was presented by Lingfei Yang from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China, GLP-1 and GLP-1R levels were measured in blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples from 248 patients with NMOSD — 57 of whom had APS — and 164 healthy individuals. Levels of these molecules were found to be considerably higher in the patients with APS than in the other patients with NMOSD and the control participants.