By Pooja Toshniwal PahariaMay 8 2023Reviewed by Danielle Ellis, B.Sc. In a recent report of a meeting published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers summarized the main findings related to the neurobiological regulation of appetite presented at the 23rd Harvard Nutrition Obesity Symposium in June 2022.
About the review In the present report, researchers elucidated hormonal, genetic, and neural pathways that contribute to appetite and body weight regulation, indicating probable molecular targets to further investigate for developing treatments to prevent and manage obesity. In the non-hunger state, the leptin hormone releases alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone by binding to its receptors on the outermost layer of proopiomelanocortin neuronal cells.
On the contrary, ghrelin, an intestinal peptide secreted in the hunger state increases food intake. By attaching to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor of the arcuate nucleus , ghrelin stimulates the neuropeptide Y-secreting neuronal cells and agouti-related neuropeptide . GHS-R neuronal cells co-express with dopamine neuronal cells situated within the ventral tegmental area to regulate hedonic hunger.
Individuals following low-carbohydrate diets have lower blood flow to the NAcc and thus a lower hedonic drive for food consumption, whereas high-carbohydrate diets increase the flow of blood to the NAcc. Compulsive eating, an uncontrollable desire to eat, is caused by overeating palatable food, leading to inappropriate neuronal reactions in brain reward systems and lowering dopamine levels.