Overlapping Brain Circuits for Homeostatic and Hedonic Feeding
Mark A Rossi1, Garret D Stuber2
1Department of Psychiatry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Cell Metabolism
|November 7, 2017
Summary
Central control of food intake involves overlapping neural circuits for both survival and pleasure-driven feeding. These systems are not entirely separate, suggesting complex interactions in feeding behavior regulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Physiology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Central regulation of food intake is crucial for energy homeostasis.
- Neural circuits for feeding behavior often overlap with reward circuitry anatomically and functionally.
- Homeostatic and hedonic feeding systems, though distinct, show significant interaction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interplay between homeostatic and hedonic feeding systems.
- To challenge the view of dissociable neural circuits for homeostatic and hedonic feeding.
- To advocate for broader behavioral assessments in feeding control research.
Main Methods:
- Review and synthesis of existing neuroscientific data on feeding regulation.
- Analysis of anatomical and functional overlaps between feeding and reward circuits.
- Conceptual integration of homeostatic and hedonic feeding mechanisms.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests significant functional and anatomical overlap between homeostatic and hedonic feeding neurocircuits.
- Manipulation of neural pathways can impact both food intake and reward simultaneously.
- Current data indicates that these systems are not completely dissociable.
Conclusions:
- The neurocircuits controlling homeostatic and hedonic feeding are intricately linked and not fully separable.
- Future research should consider a wider range of behaviors beyond just food intake.
- A more integrated approach is needed to understand the neural control of feeding.
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