In mammals, a robust physiologic system acts to maintain relative constancy of weight. A key element of this system is leptin. The nature of this "brain-somatic" cross talk is as yet poorly understood, but it is likely to have important implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

In mammals, a robust physiologic system acts to maintain relative constancy of weight. A key element of this system is leptin. The nature of this "brain-somatic" cross talk is as yet poorly understood, but it is likely to have important implications for the pathophysiology and treatment of obesity, diabetes and other metabolic disorders.