Leptin And Its Feedback Control System

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This video demonstrates how changes in the amount of fat tissue lead to changes in leptin levels and thus changes in appetite. It also includes audio narration, please make sure your computer's volume is up so that you can hear it./nAs it is known, Leptin is a hormone that is produced by fat tissue found throughout the body. The amount of leptin produced is proportional to the amount of fat tissue. If someone reduces their caloric intake, their fat tissue will decrease, and the leptin signal will also decrease. This decreased signal reaches an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus responds to the reduced signal by increasing the desire to eat. Once the amount of fat tissue is back to the usual level, the amount of feeding also returns to the usual level. Likewise, if someone increases their caloric intake, their fat tissue increases, as does the amount of leptin signal reaching the hypothalamus. This increased signal to the hypothalamus results in a decreased desire to eat. This eventually returns the amount of fat tissue to the usual level, which in turn returns feeding to the usual level./nReff: hhmi