The central melanocortin system plays a critical role in the regulation of energy balance in rodents and humans. The melanocortin signals in both the hypothalamus and brainstem contribute to this regulation. However, how the melanocortin signals of the hypothalamus interact with those intrinsic to the brainstem in the regulation of energy balance is poorly understood. The brainstem raphe pallid...

Melanocortins play a critical role in appetite and body weight regulation, because manipulations of this pathway can lead to the development of obesity in several animal models. The purpose of this study was to use a melanocortin receptor agonist and antagonist to evaluate the involvement of melanocortins in feeding, energy metabolism, and body weight regulation in lean and obese Zucker rats. C...

Background The genetic code does not fully explain individual variability and inheritance of susceptibility to endocrine conditions, suggesting the contribution epigenetic factors acting across generations. Methods We used a mouse model developmental thyrotoxicosis ( Dio3-/- mouse) analyze outcomes in adult offspring males using standard methods for body composition, baseline fasting hormonal g...