Endocrine Abstracts

Significant advancements have been made in the last century regarding the neuronal control of feeding behavior and energy expenditure. The effects and mechanism of action of various peripheral metabolic signals on the brain have become clearer. Molecular and genetic tools for visualizing and manipulating individual components of brain homeostatic systems in combination with neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, behavioral and pharmacological techniques have begun to elucidate the molecular and neuronal mechanisms of complex feeding behavior and energy expenditure. This talk will attempt to highlight some of these advancements that have lead to the current understanding of the brain’s involvement in the acute and chronic regulation of energy homeostasis. The case will also be made to suggest that the hypothalamic circuitry, which governs feeding behavior, is an appropriate model to examine in order to yield the experimental proof for the causal relationship between synaptic plasticity and behavior.