A role for leptin-regulated neurocircuitry in subordination stress

Abstract

The visible burrow system produces a distinct combination of psychological and metabolic stress on, primarily, subordinate individuals that results in pronounced physiologic and behavioral dysfunction. However, the mechanisms underlying the consequences of chronic subordination stress are largely unknown. The simplest mechanistic explanation is that adaptations within brain systems with overlapping functions of both psychological and metabolic control provide immediate benefits that result in lasting susceptibility to diseases, disorders, and increased mortality rates in subordinates. Circuits regulated by leptin adapt to fluctuating levels of energy storage, such that the loss of leptin action within leptin-regulated neurocircuitry results in dysfunction in physiologic and behavioral systems implicated in the consequences of chronic social subordination. Thus, leptin-regulated neurocircuitry may provide a window into understanding the consequences of social subordination stress. This review examines the neural systems of leptin physiology implicated in social subordination stress: energy balance, motivation, HPA axis, and glycemic control.

Increased plasma leptin as a novel predictor for psychopathological depressive symptoms in chronic schizophrenia

“…Leptin-deficient ob/ob mice showed decreased weight overall for the whole brain and decreased volume of specific brain regions, while these neurodegenerative changes were partially reversed by leptin treatment 35 37–40. Third, leptin may be a potent inhibitor of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is overactive in depression 41…”

Gender Difference in the Effect of Short Sleep Time on Suicide among Korean Adolescents

“…That is, in the case of sleep deprivation in women, the concentration of the plasma level of leptin increases more, and this increase stimulates the amygdala to control changes in anxiety and emotional stress. Leptin and leptin-related neuro-circuits are activated in stress situations, and a decrease in the leptin level results in a decrease of the HPA axis-related hormone, which could play a protective role during stressful conditions [22]. Based on this scientific mechanism, decreased leptin levels in female adolescents could be a sleep deprivation risk factor for those vulnerable to suicide.…”