Ghrelin and the central regulation of feeding and energy balance

Abstract

Ghrelin was discovered in 1999 as growth hormone secretagouge released from the gut. Soon after it was recognized that ghrelin is a fundamental driver of appetite in rodents and humans and that its mode of action requires alteration of hypothalamic circuit function. Here we review aspects of ghrelin′s action that revolve around the central nervous system with the goal to highlight these pathways in integrative physiology of metabolism regulation including ghrelin′s cross-talk with the action of the adipose hormone, leptin.

Keywords

• Food intake
• ghrelin
• hypothalamus
• neuropeptide Y
• proopiomelanocortin