Neuropeptides
Neuropeptides and neurotransmitters mediate the central regulation of appetite in the brain thus maintaining the physiological control of energy homeostasis. The satiety centre (Ventromedial nucleus of hypothalamus) and the feeding center ( lateral hypothalamic area) together maintain a balance between the satiation and feeding behaviour of humans. Having said that, most of the balancing between satiety and feeding is a short term mechanism to maintain food intake, in effect, strongly biased towards energy accumulation. Unfortunately for the obese human, energy excess is not associated with compensatory phenomenon to burn away excess calories through shivering or by a drive to involve in energy expending activities. To complicate matters further, rather than a simple see-saw relationship between the satiety and feeding centre, multiple other brain areas including the amygdala, and the limbic system may influence the timing of food intake as well as the size and nature of the meal. Information regarding neuropeptides provided at this site is merely intended to give the reader a brief feel for the complex regulation that appetite control is under!
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