グレリン御研究の児島先生のコメント

以前、児島先生からいただいたPWSの過食とグレリンの関係についてのコメントを知人が英訳しました。児島先生にも添削していただき、転載許諾いただきましたので、転載いたします。海外のPWSさんにとっても希望を感じるテーマですから、広く読んでいただきたいと願います。ありがとうございました。グレリン研究によってPWSの過食症の治療法が発見されますことを心から願います。
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/prader-willi/10000101

The relationship between ghrelin and PWS.
In 1999, we discovered a hormone and designated it as "ghrelin". Ghrelin,secreted from the stomach and brain, stimulates appetite and increases secretion of growth hormone.
There is a close relationship between ghrelin and appetite regulation. We eat more food when we have high plasma ghrelin concentration. Ghrelin level in blood increases when we feel hunger.
Recently, we found that people with PWS have an excessively high ghrelin level in their blood. However, we cannot yet define the relationship between ghrelin and excessive eating of people with PWS. There are many unsolved problems. Why is ghrelin level in their blood elevated? How does ghrelin concentration in the blood of people with PWS vary with age?
In the future, we hope to control excessive eating of people with PWS by blocking the action of ghrelin. Towards that goal, we would like to define more clearly the relationship between ghrelin and PWS.

October 27th,2003
Department of Molecular Genetics, Life Science Institute, Kurume University
Dr. Masayasu KOJIMA