title: Overview of rodent models for obesity research.
abstract: Animal obesity models differ widely in type and extent of obesity. They are either based on environmental factors (e.g., high-fat diet-induced obesity), spontaneous mutants (i.e., ob/ob mice), genetically engineered animals (e.g., mice with melanocortin receptor subtype-4 gene disruption (knock-out), or mechanical intervention (e.g., chemical lesion of the ventromedial hypothalamus). This unit reviews available rodent models to study obesity and attempts to highlight the greatest utility for each model.
authors.affiliation: Lilly Research Laboratories, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tschöp
authors.forename: Mark L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Heiman
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000502:physiology; D000375:Aging / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001823:Body Composition / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D051379:Mice; D008820:Mice, Obese; D009154:Mutation; D009765:Obesity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats