MedNews

  • Drug Industry News
  • FDA News & Alerts
  • Health & Medical News
You are here: Home / Health & Medical News / Diet & Weight / Researchers ID Brain Circuits Responsible for Hunger

Researchers ID Brain Circuits Responsible for Hunger

November 2, 2007 By MedNews Leave a Comment

A team of researchers has identified the brain circuits controlling hunger that are influenced by a hormone called leptin. The research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found that leptin reduced activation in regions of the brain linked to hunger, while enhancing activation in regions linked to inhibition and satiety. The study suggests possible new targets for the treatment of obesity.

Three Turkish adults who lacked the leptin (ob) hormone were used in the study, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to measure brain activity before and after leptin supplementation in them. The subjects were shown images of food before and after leptin treatment, while MRI imaging was in progress.

After leptin replacement, the subjects had feelings of hunger induced by the images, and activity in brain regions associated with hunger—the insula, parietal and temporal cortex—were reduced, while brain activity increased in the prefrontal cortex, previously associated with feeling full.

Despite the limitations in having only three subjects with the ob mutation, Prof. London says, "We think knowing the mechanisms by which leptin alters brain function in congential leptin deficiency can provide understanding of normal leptin physiology. Ultimately, that may help identify new targets for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders."

The research was conducted by Edythe London, a professor of psychiatry in the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior, and Kate Baicy, a graduate student in Professor London’s lab. Other authors involved with the study were ohn Monteroso, Tuncay Delibasi, and Anil Sharma from the Semel Institute and the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and Ma-Li Wong and Julio Licinio of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The research was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and the UCLA General Clinical Research Center. During the course of this study Amgen, Inc. provided leptin; Amylin, Inc. now provides leptin to these patients. Neither Amgen, Inc., nor Amylin, Inc., contributed to the design, analysis, or writing of this study.

Source: Proceedings of the National Academy of Science,October 29, 2007

Filed Under: Diet & Weight Tagged With: leptin, obesity



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search



Tag Cloud

alcohol alzheimers asthma breast cancer cancer children cholesterol dementia depression Diabetes diet drug abuse exercise fda flu food genetics geriatrics h1n1 heart heart attack heart disease high blood pressure HIV/AIDS hormone therapy hypertension lungs menopause mrsa NIH obesity pain pediatrics pregnancy prostate cancer seniors sleep smoking statistics stroke sun swine flu teens USA women's health

Recent Comments

  • Mia Fritz on Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate
  • Shilpa on Why Too Much Iron Can Be Dangerous
  • Racheal on Teen Pregnancy May Be Reduced by Sex Education in Schools, Says Study
  • Don on Prilosec, Nexium and Prevacid Tied to Higher Risk of Pneumonia
  • Meso on Brain Changes in Elderly Can Affect Mobility and Balance
  • About Us
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 Mednews · Log in