A possible pathway through which leptin activates the histaminergic system was studied using in vivo microdialysis in rats. Intraperitoneal injection of leptin (1.3 mg/kg) caused a significant increase in hypothalamic histamine release, however, its intracerebroventricular injection (10 μg/rat) did not cause any significant changes in the release. Furthermore, leptin (1.3 mg/kg) had no effect on histamine release in rats whose chorda tympani nerves, a branch of the facial nerve which mediates taste information, were transected bilaterally. These findings indicate that leptin activates the histaminergic system by the peripheral signal inputs via the chorda tympani resulting in the suppression of food intake. © 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.