arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus(English)

• known to be responsive to a wide array of hormones and nutrients, including leptin, insulin, gonadal steroids and glucose. In addition to potential transport mechanisms, peripheral substances may access these neurons via arcuate cell bodies in and projections to the median eminence, a region considered to be a circumventricular organ. The arcuate is a potent site of leptin action, probably mediating a component of leptin's effects via arcuate neuropeptide Y/agouti-related peptide (NPY/AgRP) and pro-opiomelanocortin neurons, and implicating this structure in the long-term control of energy stores. However, ghrelin, the endogenous ligand of the growth hormone secretagogue receptor, may also stimulate feeding and weight gain, in part through action on receptors in arcuate NPY neurons. Since ghrelin is secreted by the stomach upon content depletion, with a half-life of no more than an hour, the arcuate nucleus may also be important in sensing and responding to acute changes in nutrients. The arcuate melanocortin system is best described as a conduit of many diverse signals involved in energy homeostasis, with leptin acting tonically to regulate the responsiveness of the circuit to a wide variety of hormones and nutrients
• MSH, NPY, NPY/AgRP, POMC
• Neurons, Nutrition, Hormone
• https://doi.org…/sj.ijo.0801913