Obesity is a major health crisis affecting over a third of the global population. This
multifactorial disease is regulated via interoceptive neural circuits in the brain, whose …

The initial discovery that ob/ob mice become obese because of a recessive mutation of the
leptin gene has been crucial to discover the melanocortin pathway to control appetite. In the …

The brain controls energy homeostasis and body weight by integrating various metabolic
signals. Leptin, an adipose-derived hormone, conveys critical information about peripheral …

The medial preoptic area (mPOA) differs between males and females in nearly all species
examined to date, including humans. Here, using fiber photometry recordings of Ca2+ …

Hypothalamic neurons that co-express agouti-related protein (AgRP), neuropeptide Y and γ-
aminobutyric acid (GABA) are known to promote feeding and weight gain by integration of …

Neurons in the arcuate nucleus that produce AgRP, NPY, and GABA (AgRP neurons)
promote feeding. Ablation of AgRP neurons in adult mice results in Fos activation in …

Neural processes that direct an animal's actions toward environmental goals are critical
elements for understanding behavior. The hypothalamus is closely associated with …

The past 20 years witnessed an enormous leap in understanding of the central regulation of
whole-body energy metabolism. Genetic tools have enabled identification of the region …

The melanocortin peptides derived from pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) were originally
understood in terms of the biological actions of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) …

Current anti-obesity drugs aim to reduce food intake by either curbing appetite or
suppressing the craving for food. However, many of these agents have been associated with …