Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Eur J Pharmacol. 2013 Nov 5;719(1-3):208-214. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.04.059. Epub 2013 Jul 18.
The Neuropeptide Y and the melanocortin peptides are two well-described hypothalamic feeding peptides regulating energy balance. Predominantly expressed within the arcuate nucleus, these neurons project to different brain areas and modulate various aspects of feeding. Hedonic feeding, where one overindulges in palatable food consumption beyond one's nutritional necessities, is one such aspect regulated by NPY/melanocortin signaling. Research suggests that NPY/melanocortin regulate hedonic aspects of feeding through its projections to the brain reward circuitry (ventral tegmental area, lateral hypothalamus, nucleus accumbens etc.), however, exact target areas have not yet been identified. The current work explores literature to provide a mechanistic explanation for the effects of these peptides on food reward.
神经肽 Y 和黑色素皮质素肽是两种描述明确的下丘脑进食肽，它们调节能量平衡。这些神经元主要在弓状核中表达，投射到不同的脑区，并调节进食的各个方面。享乐性进食是指人们过度沉迷于美味食物的消费，超出了自身的营养需求，这是 NPY/黑色素皮质素信号调节的一个方面。研究表明，NPY/黑色素皮质素通过其投射到大脑奖励回路（腹侧被盖区、外侧下丘脑、伏隔核等）来调节进食的享乐方面，然而，确切的靶区尚未确定。目前的工作探讨了文献，为这些肽对食物奖励的影响提供了一种机制解释。
