Regulation of the mesolimbic dopamine circuit by feeding peptides (2015)

Neuroscience. 2015 Mar 19;289:19-42. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.046.

Liu S1, Borgland SL2.

Abstract

Polypeptides produced in the gastrointestinal tract, stomach, adipocytes, pancreas and brain that influence food intake are referred to as ‘feeding-related’ peptides. Most peptides that influence feeding exert an inhibitory effect (anorexigenic peptides). In contrast, only a few exert a stimulating effect (orexigenic peptides), such as ghrelin. Homeostatic feeding refers to when food consumed matches energy deficits. However, in western society where access to palatable energy-dense food is nearly unlimited, food is mostly consumed for non-homeostatic reasons. Emerging evidence implicates the mesocorticolimbic circuitry, including dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), as a key substrate for non-homeostatic feeding. VTA dopamine neurons encode cues that predict rewards and phasic release of dopamine in the ventral striatum motivates animals to forage for food. To elucidate how feeding-related peptides regulate reward pathways is of importance to reveal the mechanisms underlying non-homeostatic or hedonic feeding. Here, we review the current knowledge of how anorexigenic peptides and orexigenic peptides act within the VTA

KEYWORDS:

anorectic; dopamine; feeding peptides; ingestive behavior; orexigenic; ventral tegmental area

PMID: 25583635

DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2014.12.046