LEP and obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency: Mouse models of diet-induced obesity have shown increased SBP and leptin levels.62 Leptin is thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension by stimulating vascular smooth muscle dysfunction and vascular inflammation.62,63 In addition, it has been shown that leptin can utilize the glutamate pathway to control blood pressure.64 In the hippocampus, glutamate is essential for long-term potentiation and thus for memory formation.