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Review
. 2023 Sep;48(9):2622-2643.
doi: 10.1007/s11064-023-03954-4. Epub 2023 May 26.

Neuropeptides Modulate Feeding via the Dopamine Reward Pathway

Ruijie Jin #  1   2 , Shanbin Sun #  1   2 , Yang Hu  1   2 , Hongfei Zhang  1   2 , Xiangrong Sun  3
Affiliations
Review

Neuropeptides Modulate Feeding via the Dopamine Reward Pathway

Ruijie Jin et al. Neurochem Res. 2023 Sep.

Erratum in

Abstract

Dopamine (DA) is a catecholamine neurotransmitter widely distributed in the central nervous system. It participates in various physiological functions, such as feeding, anxiety, fear, sleeping and arousal. The regulation of feeding is exceptionally complex, involving energy homeostasis and reward motivation. The reward system comprises the ventral tegmental area (VTA), nucleus accumbens (NAc), hypothalamus, and limbic system. This paper illustrates the detailed mechanisms of eight typical orexigenic and anorexic neuropeptides that regulate food intake through the reward system. According to recent literature, neuropeptides released from the hypothalamus and other brain regions regulate reward feeding predominantly through dopaminergic neurons projecting from the VTA to the NAc. In addition, their effect on the dopaminergic system is mediated by the prefrontal cortex, paraventricular thalamus, laterodorsal tegmental area, amygdala, and complex neural circuits. Research on neuropeptides involved in reward feeding can help identify more targets to treat diseases with metabolic disorders, such as obesity.

Keywords: Dopamine; Neuropeptides; Reward system.

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