Endocrine Abstracts

The central melanocortin circuitry is at the heart of the adipostat, and functions as a bidirectional switch on the control of energy storage. The circuitry is composed of the anorexigenic arcuate POMC neurons, and the orexigenic arcuate AgRP neurons, and their melanocortin-3 (MC3R) and melanocortin-4 (MC4R) target neurons, found in key neuroendocrine, behavioral, and autonomic control sites throughout the brain. Mutations in the MC4R, present at a composite allele frequency a...