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Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
Homeostasis Meets Motivation in the Battle to Control Food Intake
Carrie R Ferrario1, Gwenaël Labouèbe2, Shuai Liu3
1University of Michigan Medical School, Department of Pharmacology, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5632.
Abstract:
Signals of energy homeostasis interact closely with neural circuits of motivation to control food intake. An emerging hypothesis is that the transition to maladaptive feeding behavior seen in eating disorders or obesity may arise from dysregulation of these interactions. Focusing on key brain regions involved in the control of food intake (ventral tegmental area, striatum, hypothalamus, and thalamus), we describe how activity of specific cell types embedded within these regions can influence distinct components of motivated feeding behavior. We review how signals of energy homeostasis interact with these regions to influence motivated behavioral output and present evidence that experience-dependent neural adaptations in key feeding circuits may represent cellular correlates of impaired food intake control. Future research into mechanisms that restore the balance of control between signals of homeostasis and motivated feeding behavior may inspire new treatment options for eating disorders and obesity.
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