Topics: Research
Here is an interesting new study about orexin (aka hypocretin). Recall that orexin was first identified as an appetite stimulating molecule. It was then tied to narcolepsy (through stuides of a well-defined colony of narcoleptic dogs). It is involved...
OK, you've learned about leptin and ghrelin (and maybe NPY, MSH, AgRP and CART). Here's another neuropeptide, neuormedin U, that is important in regulating body weight and energy expenditure.
Topics: Research
A paper supported by your funds has just come out. This study is from Dr. Spanswick, whose project: "Understanding the action of ghrelin in the brain: Identification of novel treatments for hyperphagia" FPWR is supporting.
Topics: Research
Below is an abstract of a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) discussing a new mouse model in which they have completely deleted the ghrelin gene. (you'll recall that individuals with PWS frequently have...
Topics: Research
You may remember that orexin is a small protein (peptide) released in the brain, which was originally identified because it stimulates feeding. In addition to a role in feeding/energy regulation, it is also critical in wakefulness. People with narcol...
Topics: Research
We all know leptin regulates appetite. It is a hormone, released by fat cells, that there is plenty of fat around -- essentially a 'stop eating' signal produced by fat cells and received in the brain. When leptin was first identified, people thought ...
Topics: Research
This is an article that is very likely to generate a lot of discussion in the field. This study is trying to dissect the importance of ghrelin in regulating growth and appetite. They made a mouse that is missing the receptor for ghrelin (GHSR).
Topics: Research
Here is a recent study (link to abstract below) looking at the use of modafinil, a wake-promoting drug, in children with excessive daytime sleepiness (in this study, primarily narcolepsy).
Topics: Research
New research has identified genes affected in Prader-Willi patients by deletion. Deletions account for approximately 70% of PWS cases. There are two different sizes of deletion, with one type encompassing more genes than the other.
Topics: Research