Leptin level increase

 

Question: 19 of 39

CORRECT

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Use the passage below to answer the question.

What controls our hunger? Our central nervous system (CNS) influences our feeding behavior and metabolism. The brainstem receives signals from our gut and hypothalamus. When our stomach is empty, the appetite-stimulating neurons in the hypothalamus send information to the brainstem, signaling hunger. This leads to the secretion of ghrelin, a hunger-stimulating hormone that is mainly released by the stomach. When we eat, our brain perceives the stomach's distention as satiety and stops ghrelin's secretion. Leptin, another hormone released from fat cells, also affects the hypothalamic neurons. It triggers the brain to lower our appetite when we've eaten enough. However, leptin resistance prevents the satiety signal from being properly decoded by the brain, which can lead to overeating and weight gain. 

Stimulus: 1 of 2

"Leptin, another hormone released from fat cells, also affects the hypothalamic neurons. It triggers the brain to lower our appetite when we've eaten enough."

Which of the following inferences can be reasonably deduced from this excerpt?

People who are overweight have low leptin levels.

Although leptin levels can affect weight gain, this inference is not supported by the excerpt.

It is unclear how leptin levels affect appetite.

The excerpt explains how leptin levels affect appetite. Therefore, this inference is incorrect.

There is no correlation between leptin levels and weight gain.

This excerpt establishes a possible correlation between leptin levels and weight gain. Therefore, this inference is not supported by the excerpt.

Increased leptin levels cause decreased appetite.

MY ANSWER

The excerpt establishes that "leptin triggers the brain to lower our appetite when we've eaten enough." Therefore, we can reasonably deduce that increased leptin levels cause decreased appetite.