SAN ANTONIO, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Researchers at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio say Leptin, a hormone made by the body's fatty tissue, could ease depression.
The study, whose findings are published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was done on rats. The researchers think more exploration could help determine if it has an antidepressant effect on humans, reports webMD.
Leptin, mostly made by the body's fatty tissue, plays a role in regulating weight and appetite, the study said. The brain is studded with Leptin receptors, which could be a clue about the hormones' link to depression, says lead researcher Dr. Xin-Yun Lu.
He said rats obviously can't speak to describe their depression. But his team used stressed rats, which act helpless and listless and had low levels of Leptin in their brains.
Among the study's findings, the depressed rats injected with Leptin regained their preference for sugary water over plain water.
