title: Psychological and neural contributions to appetite self-regulation.
abstract: This paper reviews the state of the science on psychological and neural contributions to appetite self-regulation in the context of obesity.
  
  
  
  Three content areas (neural systems and cognitive functions; parenting and early childhood development; and goal setting and goal striving) served to illustrate different perspectives on the psychological and neural factors that contribute to appetite dysregulation in the context of obesity. Talks were initially delivered at an NIH workshop consisting of experts in these three content areas, and then content areas were further developed through a review of the literature.
  
  
  
  Self-regulation of appetite involves a complex interaction between multiple domains, including cognitive, neural, social, and goal-directed behaviors and decision-making. Self-regulation failures can arise from any of these factors, and the resulting implications for obesity should be considered in light of each domain. In some cases, self-regulation is amenable to intervention; however, this does not appear to be universally true, which has implications for both prevention and intervention efforts.
  
  
  
  Appetite regulation is a complex, multifactorial construct. When considering its role in the obesity epidemic, it is advisable to consider its various dimensions together to best inform prevention and treatment efforts.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Luke E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Stoeckel
authors.affiliation: Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Leann L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Birch
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA.
authors.forename: Todd
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Heatherton
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Traci
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mann
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.affiliation: National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Czajkowski
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Onken
authors.affiliation: Department of Foods and Nutrition, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: Paige K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
authors.forename: Cary R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Savage
mesh_terms: D001066:Appetite; D001069:Appetite Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy
keywords: appetite; neural; obesity; psychological; self-regulation