Which hormone acts as a hunger signal to the brain?

Enhance your skills for the Combined MAPH, Learning, Intelligence, and Testing Test with interactive questions, flashcards, and thorough explanations. Prepare effectively for your examination to ensure success.

Multiple Choice

Which hormone acts as a hunger signal to the brain?

Explanation:
Ghrelin acts as the hunger signal to the brain. It’s produced mainly in the stomach and travels to the hypothalamus, where it activates pathways that promote appetite and the urge to eat. Levels rise when the stomach is empty, peak before meals, and drop after eating, helping regulate meal timing. In contrast, leptin signals energy stores and tends to curb appetite, insulin has a similar satiety-influencing role in the brain, and cortisol can affect appetite in stressful situations but isn’t the normal hunger cue. So the hormone that specifically communicates hunger to the brain is ghrelin.

Ghrelin acts as the hunger signal to the brain. It’s produced mainly in the stomach and travels to the hypothalamus, where it activates pathways that promote appetite and the urge to eat. Levels rise when the stomach is empty, peak before meals, and drop after eating, helping regulate meal timing. In contrast, leptin signals energy stores and tends to curb appetite, insulin has a similar satiety-influencing role in the brain, and cortisol can affect appetite in stressful situations but isn’t the normal hunger cue. So the hormone that specifically communicates hunger to the brain is ghrelin.

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