Determining the effect of hypothalamic inflammatory signals on energy balance presents a
paradox. On the one hand, a large body of work has identified inflammatory signaling in the
hypothalamus as an essential mediator of the sickness response–the anorexia, cachexia,
fever, inactivity, lethargy, anhedonia and adipsia that are triggered by systemic inflammatory
stimuli and promote negative energy balance. On the other hand, numerous recent studies
implicate inflammatory activation within the hypothalamus as a key factor whereby high-fat …