title: Running on Empty: Leptin Signaling in VTA Regulates Reward from Physical Activity.
abstract: Hunger increases physical activity and stamina to support food-directed foraging behaviors, but underlying mechanisms are unclear. In this issue, Fernandes et al. (2015) show that disruption of leptin-regulated STAT3 signaling in midbrain dopamine neurons increases the rewarding effects of running in mice, which could explain the "high" experienced by endurance runners.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology & Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
authors.forename: Zuxin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology & Systems Therapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. Electronic address: paul.kenny@mssm.edu.
authors.forename: Paul J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Kenny
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D020738:Leptin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor