The role of peripheral metabolic signals in neural reward mechanisms

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One last morsel of food remains on your dinner plate. You hesitate but in spite of feeling full you manage to eat the last bite. Your plate is clean and your hunger is satisfied. Without a conscious thought of eating anything more your eyes glance over the dessert menu. The anticipation of the novel sensory experience presented by the tasty treats makes you perk-up, and before you know it you are devouring another mouthful. The rewarding effects of palatable foods can drive us to eat not only when we are hungry and need to replenish energy stores but also in states of satiety when energy is replete. Which mechanisms in the brain are responsible for motivating us to consume foods rich in fat and sugar? Our work explores the neural pathways that underlie motivation for food and other behaviours that regulate body weight. Dietary-derived lipid nutrients such as polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids play a signifcant role in neural signaling and behavioral processes including food reward. Our goal is to uncover the mechanisms by which omega-3 fatty acid deficiency on has deleterious effects on reward, emotions and energy balance. As we are confronted with the health, social and economic consequences of nutritionally-related illnesses, elucidating the mechanisms that regulate motivation for food remains an important goal.