Foreword. Control of feeding behavior and the peripheral metabolism by the hypothalamus.

摘要

In this second issue on obesity, the emphasis is more on the control of feeding behavior and the peripheral metabolism by the hypothalamus and management of the disorder. Energy stores in various compartments of the body are regulated quite tightly by the hypothalamus. Although energy homeostasis is controlled mainly by neuronal circuits in the hypothalamus and brainstem, reward and motivational aspects of eating behavior are controlled by neurons in limbic regions and the cerebral cortex. The first article in this issue, by Ahima and Antwi, outlines these processes and suggests quite rationally their importance in the search for therapeutic agents for the obesity epidemic.