Research
Hormonal
Genetic obesity models with leptin signaling failure (e.g., Zucker rats, ob/ob mice) exhibit increased NPY mRNA and peptide levels, whereas other genetic obesity models (e.g., agouti, tubby mice) show decreased NPY in the arcuate nucleus but increased expression in the dorsomedial nucleus.
In some genetic forms of obesity where the body cannot respond to leptin, hunger signals (NPY) are abnormally high. In other genetic forms, the hunger signal in one part of the brain (ARC) is low, but high in another (DMN), suggesting complex regulation.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Absence of leptin signalling in obesity models due to gene mutation either at the receptor level... or at the peptide level... is associated with increased mRNA abundance, peptide content and/or release in the ARC or PVN. Other genetic obesity models... are characterized by a diminution in NPY expression in the ARC nucleus and by a significant increase in the DMN.
Why this rating
Supported by specific genetic models, though the paper notes further studies are needed for some models.
Source
Neuropeptide Y in normal eating and in genetic and dietary-induced obesity
Bernard Beck · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · 2006
DOI 10.1098/rstb.2006.1855
narrative_reviewCited 278×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Central administration of Neuropeptide Y (NPY) acts as a potent orexigenic signal that stimulates food intake, specifically increasing carbohydrate preference, reducing the latency to eat, and delaying satiety to augment meal size.Strong
- Fasting and energy restriction upregulate the NPY system (increasing mRNA and peptide content in the arcuate nucleus), while refeeding and high-fat/high-energy diets tend to downregulate or decrease NPY expression as a counter-regulatory mechanism.Strong
- The orexigenic effects of Neuropeptide Y are mediated primarily through Y1 and Y5 receptors, with Y1 playing a dominant role in appetitive behavior and Y5 in consummatory behavior.Good
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