Leptin potentiates astrogenesis in the developing hypothalamus.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The proper establishment of hypothalamic feeding circuits during early development has a profound influence on energy homeostasis, and perturbing this process could predispose individuals to obesity and its associated consequences later in life. The maturation of hypothalamic neuronal circuitry in rodents takes place during the initial postnatal weeks, and this coincides with a dramatic surge in the circulating level of leptin, which is known to regulate the outgrowth of key neuronal projections in the maturing hypothalamus. Coincidently, this early postnatal period also marks the rapid proliferation and expansion of astrocytes in the brain.

Methods

Here we examined the effects of leptin on the proliferative capacity of astrocytes in the developing hypothalamus by

SUBMITTER: Rottkamp DM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4632125 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature