ABSTRACT

Recent advances in the biology of energy balance have provided a rich cast of molecular players and new pathways underlying the central and peripheral regulation of energy balance. These advances in this dynamic field have invigorated, energized, and added new foci to the obesity research agenda. Several lines of converging evidence have identified the brain integration of central and peripheral neuroendocrine, neuropeptide, and neural signals in the regulation of energy balance as an important research area. This growing area of research activity is the subject of this chapter.