title: Regulation of the mesolimbic dopamine circuit by feeding peptides.
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.
authors.affiliation: Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Hotchkiss Brain Institute, Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, The University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta T2N 4N1, Canada. Electronic address: s.borgland@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Borgland
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D059290:Dopaminergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010455:Peptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D017557:Ventral Tegmental Area / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides
keywords: anorectic; dopamine; feeding peptides; ingestive behavior; orexigenic; ventral tegmental area