Hormonal
Intracerebroventricular infusion of leptin attenuates the rewarding effect of lateral hypothalamic stimulation in brain regions sensitive to chronic food restriction, while enhancing it in insensitive regions.
Leptin, a hormone from fat cells, doesn't just suppress appetite; it actively changes how rewarding certain brain activities feel. In areas linked to feeding, leptin makes stimulation less rewarding, potentially reducing the drive to eat. However, in other brain areas, it makes stimulation more rewarding, possibly encouraging other behaviors. This suggests leptin helps shift your focus away from food when energy stores are sufficient.
In the five rats that had shown enhancement of BSR during chronic food restriction, leptin decreased the effectiveness of the rewarding stimulation... Leptin had the opposite effect in three of four rats in which the rewarding effect of LH stimulation was unresponsive to food restriction. In these three rats, leptin increased the effectiveness of the rewarding stimulation
Why this rating
Controlled animal study with clear physiological measurements and statistical significance, though limited to rats.
Source
Modulation of Brain Reward Circuitry by Leptin
Stephanie Fulton et al. · Science · 2000
DOI 10.1126/science.287.5450.125
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