The Impact of Appetite-Regulating Neuropeptide Leptin on Alcohol Use, Alcohol Craving and Addictive Behavior: A Systematic Review of Preclinical and Clinical Data

Aims The appetite regulating hormone leptin, which is mainly secreted from adipose tissue, is an important regulator of food intake and modulator of reward-driven behavior. Leptin exerts its biological actions via binding to the leptin receptor, which is expressed in the hypothalamus, but also in the hippocampus, the amygdala and the substantia nigra. In the ventral tegmental area (VTA), leptin attenuates the firing rate of dopaminergic neurons...