Issues
-
Cover image
Cover Image
![issue cover]()
Cover: The Venus of Willendorf, a limestone figurine that is ∼11 cm high and dated 22,000-24,000 BC, was found in 1908 by the archaeologist Josef Szombathy near the town of Willendorf in Austria, and is now displayed in the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna. It is the most famous of a series of Upper Paleolithic Venus figurines found in middle Europe. Often described as mother goodness or as an amulet of fertility, it has also been heralded as the first example of obesity in human evolutionary history. Although it is unlikely that any human being who endured the fast and famines of the Paleolithic age would have had the chance to become obese, the figurine's enigmatic nature and round shape perfectly represent the mystery of why we are 'The obese species'. Image credit: Matthias Kabel; adapted under the GNU Free Documentation License.Close Modal - PDF Icon PDF LinkTable of contents
Foreword
In This Issue
Research Highlights
Editorial
Journal Club
Fasting, feasting and the glutamatergic synapse
Summary and comment on a recent Neuron paper entitled ‘Fasting activation of AgRP neurons requires NMDA receptors and involves spinogenesis and increased excitatory tone’ (Liu et al., 2012).
A Model For Life
Leading the charge in leptin research: an interview with Jeffrey Friedman
Jeffrey Friedman is a molecular geneticist whose group, in 1994, reported the long-sought identity and function of leptin (Zhang et al., 1994), a key fat-derived hormone that regulates feeding behaviour and body weight. This represented a massive step forward in our understanding of obesity, which is now one of the world’s fastest-growing health problems. Here, he recalls his journey of discovery and offers his perspective on the future of obesity research.
Obituary
Zofia Zukowska
The death of Zofia Zukowska, on April 15, 2012, represents the loss of a vibrant and energetic leader in the fields of stress physiology and neuropeptide Y (NPY) biology.
At A Glance
Special Article
Commentaries
Research Articles
Accelerated renal disease is associated with the development of metabolic syndrome in a glucolipotoxic mouse model
Elaidyl-sulfamide, an oleoylethanolamide-modelled PPARα agonist, reduces body weight gain and plasma cholesterol in rats
Research Reports
Call for papers: Moving Heart Failure to Heart Success
Disease Models & Mechanisms is pleased to welcome submissions for consideration for an upcoming special issue, Moving Heart Failure to Heart Success: Mechanisms, Regeneration & Therapy. The deadline for submitting articles to the special issue has been extended to 1 August 2022.
Modelling interactions at the blood–brain barrier
In their Review, Yvonne Adams and Anja Ramstedt Jensen review the available in vitro models to investigate the impact of adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells on the blood–brain barrier, a process associated with cerebral malaria.
Focus on Genetic Variance in Human Disease
New technologies, computational methods and model systems are revealing how human genetic variance contributes to disease mechanisms. DMM’s new Subject Focus highlights this evolving area of research.
Apply for a DMM Conference Travel Grant
Aimed at early-career researchers wanting to attend in-person and virtual meetings, the next application deadline for a DMM Conference Travel Grant is 1 September 2022. Find out more and hear from past recipients about their experience of the grant.
