Three Pillars for the Neural Control of Appetite

2016/12/03 by Scott M. Sternson, Anne-Kathrin Eiselt · 353 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · Neuroscience · Psychology · #Adipose Tissue and Metabolism #Appetite #Artificial intelligence #Biological neural network #Computer science #Control (management) #Endocrinology #Medicine #Neuroscience #Psychology #Receptor Mechanisms and Signaling #Regulation of Appetite and Obesity

paper · doi:10.1146/annurev-physiol-021115-104948

published in Annual Review of Physiology 79(1), 401-423 (Annual Reviews)

openalex publication_date 2016/12/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

The neural control of appetite is important for understanding motivated behavior as well as the present rising prevalence of obesity. Over the past several years, new tools for cell type-specific neuron activity monitoring and perturbation have enabled increasingly detailed analyses of the mechanisms underlying appetite-control systems. Three major neural circuits strongly and acutely influence appetite but with notably different characteristics. Although these circuits interact, they have distinct properties and thus appear to contribute to separate but interlinked processes influencing appetite, thereby forming three pillars of appetite control. Here, we summarize some of the key characteristics of appetite circuits that are emerging from recent work and synthesize the findings into a provisional framework that can guide future studies.

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