Neural Mechanism of Appetite Regulation: Recent Progress and Future Perspectives

Abstract

Appetite is one of the most important instincts for survival in both humans and animals. The brain plays a central role in appetite regulation. Impairment of this regulation leads to overeating or low food intake, which can ultimately increase the risk of obesity or sarcopenia, respectively. Appropriate control of appetite with proper nutrient intake is thus the key to maintaining or improving health. Appetite is categorized as homeostatic for appropriate nutrient intake and hedonic for taste and smell. There is accumulated evidence to suggest a complex brain mechanism for sensing and evaluating diverse food factors. In this review, I summarize recent progress and perspectives in our understanding of the neural mechanism underlying appetite.