Dopamine ensembles regulating appetite, feeding, and energy homeostasis

Beyond its classical role in gating reward processes, dopamine (DA) also contributes to the orchestration of feeding and energy balance. This review synthesizes and discusses recent advances in understanding how dopaminergic and dopaminoceptive circuits integrate hedonic and homeostatic signals across mesocorticolimbic and hypothalamic networks. We examine how these distributed ensembles encode nutrient status, motivation, and peripheral cues, and how cell type-specific receptor signaling shapes their functional outputs. Conceptualizing DA circuits as integrated networks, rather than segregated pathways, provides a unifying framework for understanding feeding behavior in both physiological and pathological states, including metabolic and eating disorders. This perspective may inform targeted strategies to modulate specific dopaminergic nodes within the feeding network.