Jan. 27, 2005 New research published in the premier issue of
Cell Metabolism finds that a single brain region is sufficient
for normal control of blood sugar and activity level by the fat
hormone leptin. The same region also exerts significant, though
more modest, control over leptin's effects on body weight. The
findings in mice provide insight into potential mechanisms
underlying type II diabetes and suggest new avenues for
treatment, according to the researchers. Secreted by fat cells,
leptin signals the status of the body's energy content to the
brain and is required for normal body weight and glucose
balance. Mice lacking leptin develop obesity, diabetes, and
inactivity, among other symptoms. The new results suggest that
leptin signaling acts directly on the brain region known as the
hypothalamic arcuate nucleus (ARH) to control insulin and
glucose levels in the bloodstream, report Joel Elmquist and
Bradford Lowell, both of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
and Harvard Medical School, and their collea