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Leptin

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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

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Definition

Leptin (Greek leptos: thin) is a protein hormone released mainly by white adipocytes. It binds at leptin receptors in brain neurons involved in regulating energy intake and expenditure, mainly in the lateral hypothalamus, where the activity of neurons containing neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) is inhibited, while the activity of neurons expressing α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) is increased. The effects of leptin were observed by studying mutant obese mice (ob mice) that arose at random at the Jackson Laboratory in 1950. The human ob gene is located on chromosome 7 encoding a protein of 167 amino acids.

Even though leptin is also synthesized by other tissues including the placenta, ovaries, skeletal muscle, stomach, mammary epithelial cells, bone marrow, pituitary, and liver, circulating leptin concentration is highly associated with the total amount of body fat and positively correlated with BMI. Despite the fact that leptin is reducing...

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References and Further Reading

  • Farooqi, S., & O’Rahilly, S. (2007). Genetics of obesity in humans. Endocrine Reviews, 27(7), 710–718.

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  • Friedman, J. M., & Halaas, J. L. (1998). Leptin and the regulation of body weight in mammals. Nature, 395(6704), 763–770.

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  • Grosshans, M., Vollmert, C., Vollstädt-Klein, S., Tost, H., Leber, S., Bach, P., Bühler, M., von der Goltz, C., Mutschler, J., Loeber, S., Hermann, D., Wiedemann, K., Meyer-Lindenberg, A., & Kiefer, F. (2012). Association of leptin with food cue-induced activation in human reward pathways. Archives of General Psychiatry, 69(5), 529–537.

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  • Margetic, S., Gazzola, C., Pegg, G. G., & Hill, R. A. (2002). Leptin: A review of its peripheral actions and interactions. International Journal of Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1407–1433.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Addictive Behaviour and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany

    Falk Kiefer

  2. University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth, MN, USA

    Mustafa al’Absi

Authors
  1. Falk Kiefer
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  2. Mustafa al’Absi
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Correspondence to Falk Kiefer .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA

    Marc Gellman

  2. Campbell University School of Pharmacy, Buies Creek, North Carolina, USA

    J. Rick Turner

Section Editor information

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

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Kiefer, F., al’Absi, M. (2018). Leptin. In: Gellman, M., Turner, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_258-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_258-2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

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