An alternative to surgery? (in English only)

An alternative to surgery? (in English only)

There is an immediate response to gastric bypass in relation to weight loss and type-II diabetes, but why this is so is still not understood. An animal model may offer a better understanding of the neuroendocrine mechanisms lying behind the response to gastric bypass. Neuroendocrinology is the study of the interaction of the nervous system and the endocrine system. The nervous system is a complex network of nerves and cells that carry messages to and from the brain, the spinal cord and the body. It coordinates the body’s voluntary and involuntary actions. The endocrine system is the collection of glands (e.g. pancreas, ovaries, and testes) that secrete hormones directly into the circulatory system to be carried to a distant target organ. A better understanding of the role of neuroendocrine mechanisms in gastric bypass could bring about advances in the development of new anti-obesity drugs.