Animal behavior is shaped by a variety of" internal states"—partially hidden variables that
profoundly shape perception, cognition, and action. The neural basis of internal states, such …

It is becoming clearer how neurobiological mechanisms generate 'liking'and
'wanting'components of food reward. Mesocorticolimbic mechanisms that enhance …

Western diets rich in fat and sugar promote excess calorie intake and weight gain; however,
the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Despite a well-documented association between …

Modern optogenetics can be tuned to evoke activity that corresponds to naturally occurring
local or global activity in timing, magnitude or individual-cell patterning. This outcome has …

Prior mouse genetic research has set the stage for a deep understanding of appetite
regulation. This goal is now being realized through the use of recent technological …

Background Over the past 20 years, insights from human and mouse genetics have
illuminated the central role of the brain leptin-melanocortin pathway in the control of …

Obesity is a major health crisis affecting over a third of the global population. This
multifactorial disease is regulated via interoceptive neural circuits in the brain, whose …

Hypothalamic AgRP and POMC neurons are conventionally viewed as the yin and yang of
the body's energy status, since they act in an opposite manner to modulate appetite and …

During the past 30 yr, investigating the physiology of eating behaviors has generated a truly
vast literature. This is fueled in part by a dramatic increase in obesity and its comorbidities …

Astrocytes, microglia, and tanycytes play active roles in the regulation of hypothalamic
feeding circuits. These non-neuronal cells are crucial in determining the functional …