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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Studying Food Reward and Motivation in Humans

Published on: March 19, 2014

Ghrelin and food reward.

Omar Al Massadi¹, Ruben Nogueiras², Carlos Dieguez²

¹Inserm UMR-S 839, 75005, Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Sciences and Engineering Faculty, 75005 Paris, France; Institut du Fer a Moulin, 75005, Paris, France.

Neuropharmacology

|January 8, 2019

Summary

Ghrelin, a feeding hormone, influences both homeostatic and reward pathways to stimulate appetite. Understanding its role in food reward is key to addressing eating disorders like obesity.

Keywords:

Dopamine Endocannabinoids Food reward Ghrelin Obesity Opioids

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Endocrinology
Physiology

Background:

Food intake is regulated by complex homeostatic and reward systems.
Ghrelin is a key hormone that stimulates feeding behavior.
Proper energy balance relies on the coordinated function of these regulatory mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the actions of ghrelin in the food reward system.
To explore ghrelin's interactions with other feeding modulators like dopamine, opioids, and endocannabinoids.
To examine the interplay between homeostatic feeding regulation and reward pathways, focusing on arcuate nucleus melanocortins and lateral hypothalamus orexins.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies on ghrelin's role in feeding behavior.
Analysis of neurobiological mechanisms underlying ghrelin's effects on reward and motivation.
Discussion of ghrelin's implications in obesity and related disorders.

Main Results:

Ghrelin modulates food reward through interactions with neurotransmitter systems (dopamine, opioids, endocannabinoids).
Ghrelin's actions are influenced by homeostatic regulators in the brain, including melanocortins and orexins.
Ghrelin plays a role in the rewarding aspects of food intake, potentially contributing to obesity.

Conclusions:

Ghrelin significantly impacts the motivational control of food intake via the reward system.
Further understanding of ghrelin's mechanisms can elucidate the pathophysiology of food-related disorders.
Targeting ghrelin pathways may offer therapeutic strategies for obesity and anorexia.