Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
08:07
Simultaneous Detection of c-Fos Activation from Mesolimbic and Mesocortical Dopamine Reward Sites Following Naive Sugar and Fat Ingestion in Rats
Published on: August 24, 2016
Central regulators of food intake
Maralyn Druce1, Stephen R Bloom
1Department of Metabolic Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK.
Current Opinion in Clinical Nutrition and Metabolic Care
|June 14, 2003
Summary
Recent research advances our understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling food intake and energy homeostasis. Identifying these pathways offers potential therapeutic targets for obesity, a significant public health concern.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Public Health
Background:
- Obesity is a growing global health crisis linked to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
- Individual weight is tightly regulated, depending on the balance between energy intake and expenditure.
- Accurate control of food intake is crucial for maintaining energy balance and body weight.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advancements in understanding the molecular mechanisms governing food intake and energy homeostasis.
- To highlight the complex central circuitry and peripheral factors involved in appetite regulation.
- To explore potential therapeutic targets for obesity based on these regulatory pathways.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on molecular mechanisms of food intake and energy homeostasis.
- Analysis of central neurotransmitter pathways and their roles in appetite regulation.
- Examination of peripheral modulators, including hormones and peptides, influencing feeding behavior.
Main Results:
- Enhanced understanding of central pathways involving hypothalamic nuclei, brain stem, amygdala, and nucleus accumbens.
- Identification of novel transmitters and elucidation of roles for known transmitters like endocannabinoids and acetylcholine.
- New evidence on peripheral modulation, with ghrelin identified as a feeding initiator and peptide YY as a satiety signal.
Conclusions:
- Complex central neural circuits regulate food intake and energy expenditure.
- Circulating factors with appetite-stimulating or satiety effects present potential therapeutic targets for obesity.
- While animal models are valuable, human correlates for genetically determined obesity remain uncommon.
Related Concept Videos
01:37Neural Regulation
Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
01:40Hormonal Regulation
Hormones regulate a significant portion of digestion through activation of the neuroendocrine system. The neuroendocrine system of digestion contains many different hormones all with multiple functions that are both, directly and indirectly, involved in digestion.
01:33Hormonal Regulation
The renin-aldosterone system is an endocrine system which guides the renal absorption of water and electrolytes, thus managing blood pressure and osmoregulation. Activation of the system begins in the kidneys with a small cluster of cells adjacent to the afferent and efferent blood vessels of the renal corpuscle. As the nephrons are filtering blood, juxtaglomerular cells monitor blood pressure. If they detect a decrease in pressure, they release the hormone renin into the bloodstream.
01:25Regulation of the Digestive System
Digestive activity regulation hinges on three primary components. Activation is prompted by a multitude of mechanical and chemical indicators, primarily detected by receptors within the stomach and intestines' walls. These receptors predominantly respond to factors such as mechanical stretching of the organ walls, changes in pH and osmolarity, and the presence of digesting materials and their by-products.
The effectors in this regulation system are glands and smooth muscles. Activation of these...
The effectors in this regulation system are glands and smooth muscles. Activation of these...
01:30Regulation of Food Intake
Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
01:25Primary Motives: Hunger and Thirst
Hunger and thirst are fundamental physiological drives crucial for maintaining homeostasis and ensuring the survival of both humans and animals. These drives are regulated through complex interactions between the brain, hormones, and sensory receptors.
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus acts...
Hunger arises when the brain detects changes in the body's nutrient levels, including glucose, lipids, amino acids, and hormones such as ghrelin and leptin. The hypothalamus plays a central role in hunger regulation. The lateral hypothalamus acts...