Leptin and the control of body weight: A review of its diverse central targets, signaling mechanisms, and role in the pathogenesis of obesity

Abstract

Although we have alluded to the fact that a vast number of peripheral and central signals contribute to energy homeostasis, in this article we focus specifically on the leptin signal as an exemplary model of body weight control. We review the evidence challenging the classic view that leptin acts primarily at the ARC to control satiety through the melanocortin pathway. Instead an updated picture is presented whereby leptin acts through a distributed network of intercommunicating neurons to control both the physiological and hedonic determinants of satiety. © 2009 The Obesity Society.