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Feeding behavior is imperative for the survival and reproduction of animals. Depending on the motivation, feeding is induced by metabolic need or hedonic reason, which is associated with energy demand or pleasurable food intake respectively. Although substantial differences exist, neural circuits for metabolic and hedonic feeding are largely intertwined. Here, we review the distinctions and overlaps between metabolic and hedonic feeding to provide insights into the central regulation of feeding.


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Progress of neural circuits mechanism underlying metabolic and hedonic feeding

Show Author's information Xiaotong Wu1,2Jacob Junlin Wang3Xiaomeng Wang1,2Hao Wang1,2( )
Department of Neurobiology and Department of Neurosurgery of Second Affiliated Hospital, Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Education Ministry, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
NHC and CAMS Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, MOE Frontier Science Center for Brain Research and Brain Machine Integration, School of Brain Science and Brain Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
NorthStar Academy, Southaven, MS 38672, USA

Abstract

Feeding behavior is imperative for the survival and reproduction of animals. Depending on the motivation, feeding is induced by metabolic need or hedonic reason, which is associated with energy demand or pleasurable food intake respectively. Although substantial differences exist, neural circuits for metabolic and hedonic feeding are largely intertwined. Here, we review the distinctions and overlaps between metabolic and hedonic feeding to provide insights into the central regulation of feeding.

Keywords: neural circuits, metabolic feeding, hedonic feeding, energy homeostasis

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Received: 21 July 2022
Accepted: 17 October 2022
Published: 14 November 2022
Issue date: September 2022

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This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 32171014, 31970940, and 32100813), and the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities (No. 2021FZZX001-37).

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