Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Obesity, a serious health concern, is on the rise. The regulation of food intake is a complex behavior. It requires discrete areas in the brain to detect signals from the periphery regarding metabolic status, process and integrate this information in a coordinated manner and to provide appropriate responses to ensure that the individual does not enter a state of positive (weight gain and obestiy) or negative (weight loss) energy balance. Excess energy (calories) is stored as fat cells in adipose tissue. Adipose tissue plays a critical role in energy homeostasis, secreting substances that control feeding. Leptin, is one substance that circulates in the bloodstream and levels that reflect energy stores. Animals that lack leptin or leptin receptors in the brain are profoundly overweight, suggesting that leptin is important in energy homeostasis. Understanding how a peripheral satiety signal, such as leptin, gains access to the brain to control feeding is crucial in understanding the development of obesity and its prevention.