New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

The Neurobiology Behind Why Eating Feels So Good

Date:
October 19, 2006
Source:
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Summary:
The need to eat is triggered by the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin is produced in the gut and triggers the brain to promote eating, but it remains to be determined precisely how ghrelin affects different parts of the brain. A new study shows that in mice and rats, ghrelin triggers the same neurons as delicious food, sexual experience, and many recreational drugs; that is, neurons that provide the sensation of pleasure and the expectation of reward.
Share:
FULL STORY

The need to eat is initiated, in part, by a hormone known as ghrelin. Although ghrelin is known to be produced in the gut and to trigger the brain to promote eating, it remains to be determined precisely how ghrelin affects different parts of the brain.

Now, in a study appearing online on October 19, in advance of publication in the December print issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers from Yale University, have shown that in mice and rats ghrelin triggers the same neurons as delicious food, sexual experience, and many recreational drugs; that is, neurons that provide the sensation of pleasure and the expectation of reward.

These neurons produce dopamine and are located in a region of the brain known as the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Tamas Horvath and colleagues showed that ghrelin bound its receptor on neurons of the VTA and triggered their production of dopamine. Importantly, infusion of ghrelin into the VTA of rats increased their food intake. Conversely, infusion of inhibitors of the ghrelin receptor into the VTA of rats decreased the amount they consumed after a 24-hour fast.

This study identifies the VTA as a site of action for ghrelin to induce food intake. As this region of the brain is also triggered by many recreational drugs and is known to be produce the expectation of reward, the authors suggest that ghrelin stimulation of the VTA might be involved in diseases of food abuse.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Journal of Clinical Investigation. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Cite This Page:

Journal of Clinical Investigation. "The Neurobiology Behind Why Eating Feels So Good." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 October 2006. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061019192848.htm>.
Journal of Clinical Investigation. (2006, October 19). The Neurobiology Behind Why Eating Feels So Good. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 3, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061019192848.htm
Journal of Clinical Investigation. "The Neurobiology Behind Why Eating Feels So Good." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061019192848.htm (accessed December 3, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES