In a recent study published in Science, Czupryn et al., showed that increasing leptin-receptor containing neurons in the hypothalamus could work to help db/db mice to reduce weight. They took newborn db/db mice and controls, and gave them an implant of neurons containing the leptin receptor. After the mice grew up, the authors found that the neurons were able to express the leptin receptor in the hypothalamus. The result was a lower body weight in mice treated with the leptin expressing neurons compared to non-treated db/db mice, but not as low as control mice.
Still, though it’s not the whole answer, it’s an interesting start to understanding not only the role of the hypothalamus in obesity and type 2 diabetes, but also how we might be able to change receptors in the brain to restore leptin sensitivity, and decrease sever obesity and the type 2 diabetes that often goes with it.
