A new study helps explain how leptin, a hormone produced by adipose tissue, affects your motivation to eat.
The researchers first characterized a subset of leptin-responsive neurons in the brain’s lateral hypothalamus (LHA). Those LHA neurons pass directly into the mesolimbic dopamine system, the system that controls the rewarding properties ascribed to everything.
As a result, research adds to growing evidence that leptin doesn’t trigger your appetite simply by controlling whether you feel hungry or full. It can also make you want to eat more or less regardless of hunger.
Source link
