Latest Hypothalamus Stories

Persons with higher levels of leptin, a protein hormone produced by fat cells and involved in the regulation of appetite, may have an associated reduced incidence of Alzheimer disease and dementia, according to a study in the December 16 issue of JAMA.Previous studies have shown that overweight and obesity in mid-life are associated with poorer cognitive function in the general population and an increased risk of dementia. There has been evidence that leptin exerts additional functions on the...

Even the anticipation of sweets may cause our muscles to start taking up more blood sugar, say researchers reporting in the December issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. That message is delivered via neurons in the brain's hypothalamus containing the chemical known as orexin and the sympathetic nervous system, the studies in mice and rats suggest.Orexin neurons are known to switch on when we are motivated to eat or seek other rewards. They also play a role in active...

Contrary to the prevailing view, the hormone leptin, which is critical for normal food intake and metabolism, appears to regulate bone mass and suppress appetite by acting mainly through serotonin pathways in the brain, according to a recent study published in Cell by Yale School of Medicine researchers and colleagues at Columbia University. This new finding contradicts the view that leptin acts primarily in the hypothalamus."Our study challenges the view that the hypothalamus is the...

Leptin-serotonin pathway offers new clues for obesity and osteoporosis preventionNew research from Columbia University Medical Center has illuminated a previously unknown leptin-serotonin pathway in the brain that simultaneously promotes appetite and bone mass accrual. The research, which explains how leptin "“ well-known appetite-suppressing hormone "“ acts in the brain, is published in the Sept. 4 issue of Cell.When the leptin-serotonin pathway is turned on in mice, the researchers...

The weight-loss effect of leptin, a hormone produced by fat tissue, has been linked to higher levels of the brain chemical dopamine, U.S. researchers said. The animal studies, published in Cell Metabolism, found neurons with receptors for the hormone leptin exist in many parts of the brain -- not just the area controlling satiety. Martin Myers Jr. of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor says rat studies suggest that in addition to the area controlling the feeling of fullness after eating,...

As we all know from experience, people eat not only because they are hungry, but also because the food just simply tastes too good to pass up. Now, a new study in the August 6th Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, helps to explain how leptin, a hormone produced by fat tissue, influences that motivation to eat.The researchers describe for the first time a new bunch of leptin-responsive (LepRb) neurons in the brain's lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). Those LHA neurons feed directly into...

Having trouble losing weight and keeping your type 2 diabetes under control? A key enzyme in the brain may be behind the difficulties.A new study shows decreasing the levels of the brain enzyme prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP) led to weight loss and a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.Researchers studied mice and found  PRCP is located in the hypothalamus. PRCP regulates levels of the alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone alpha-MSH, which is a peptide known for inhibiting food intake and...

In a major advance in obesity and diabetes research, Yale School of Medicine scientists have found that reducing levels of a key enzyme in the brain decreased appetites and increased energy levels.Reductions in the levels of the enzyme prolylcarboxypeptidase (PRCP) led to weight loss and a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes in mice, according to research published in the August issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The team found that PRCP is located in the hypothalamus and regulates...

The peptide alpha-MSH works in a region of the brain known as the hypothalamus to suppress appetite. A team of researchers, at Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, and the University of California Davis, has provided new insight into the way in which levels of the active form of alpha-MSH are regulated in mice. Specifically, genetic and biochemical analysis performed by the team, led by Sabrina Diano and Craig Warden, indicated that the protein PRCP is expressed in the hypothalamus...

 University of California, Berkeley, researchers have found what they think is a critical and, until now, missing piece of the puzzle about how stress causes sexual dysfunction and infertility.Scientists know that stress boosts levels of stress hormones - glucocorticoids such as cortisol - that inhibit the body's main sex hormone, gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH), and subsequently suppresses sperm count, ovulation and sexual activity. The new research shows that stress also...