Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2003;9(10):801-9.
doi: 10.2174/1381612033455350.

Is obesity a disease of the blood-brain barrier? Physiological, pathological, and evolutionary considerations

Affiliations
Review

Is obesity a disease of the blood-brain barrier? Physiological, pathological, and evolutionary considerations

William A Banks. Curr Pharm Des. 2003.

Abstract

Leptin has emerged as a major regulator of body adiposity. The majority of humans with obesity have a resistance to leptin. Human and rodent studies indicate that the major cause of this resistance arises from an impaired ability of leptin to cross the blood-brain barrier, with lesser roles played by receptor and post-receptor defects. Evidence from baboons living in the wild is consistent with the hypothesis that during most of evolution serum levels of leptin were much lower than those currently considered normal. Leptin may have evolved to signal to the brain when caloric reserves were adequate to engage in reproductive and other behaviors not immediately concerned with acquisition of calories. The leptin transporter is a regulated system, with the rate of transport being increased by alpha(1) adrenergic agents and decreased by starvation. Impaired regulation of the transporter or impairments in transporter production could underlie the resistance caused by transporter defects. Evolutionary pressures would not have selected against such impairments if leptin levels were lower than those typically seen in Western society. A model that could explain how leptin transporter resistance can be acquired is presented.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by