Healthy humans and rats display autoantibodies directed against appetite-regulating peptide hormones and neuropeptides, suggesting that these autoantibodies may have physiologic implications in hunger and satiety pathways. Gut-related antigens including the intestinal microflora may influence production of theses autoantibodies, suggesting a new link between the gut and appetite control.

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IntroductionThe consumption of food is necessary for our everyday survival and is promoted by an intricate network of complex homeostatic and hedonic interactions. Hunger is a motivational state considered as an endpoint of these elements; it ensures that we actively seek out food when necessary. However, hunger is not only the result of simple energy deficiency; it has emerged as a product of a complex biopsychological and environmental interaction. Given the rapid development of obesity worldwide, a better understanding of the interaction between the encoding of food in the brain reward network and homeostatic energy regulation is of paramount importance for the development of new treatment strategies. BACKGROUND.Food intake is guided by homeostatic needs and by the reward value of food, yet the exact relation between the two remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of different metabolic states and hormonal satiety signaling on responses in neural reward networks.

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