At best, we can speculate that since Obesity increased Atg12 levels in males, and since upregulation of Atg12 has been observed in CA1 from AD patients [40], that cellular upregulation of Atg12 represents an early response to inflammation/cellular dysfunction as a means of upregulating ALP for coping with cellular distress; and conversely, the decrease in Atg12 mRNA due to CR may be representative of improved cellular efficiency. The gene discussed is ATG12; the disease is obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.