Stressing the brain, fattening the body.
Obesity is characterized by chronic activation of inflammatory pathways in peripheral tissues. In this issue, Zhang et al. (2008) demonstrate that inflammation also occurs in the central nervous system where it disrupts activity of the hypothalamus leading to resistance to leptin that is mediated by activation of IKK and the endoplasmic reticulum stress response.
Yang
Ling
L
Harvard School of Public Health, Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Hotamisligil
Gökhan S
GS
D000818:Animals; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051550:I-kappa B Kinase / Q000378:metabolism; D020738:Leptin / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D044343:Overnutrition / Q000503:physiopathology*
D020738:Leptin; D051550:I-kappa B Kinase