Clifton, P G (2010) Feeding. In: Koob, George F, Moal, Michel Le and Thompson, Richard F (eds.) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Neuroscience. ELSEVIER, pp. 543-549. ISBN 9780080447322

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Abstract

Food intake is probably the most widely used dependent measure used in behavioral neuroscience. However, feeding behavior has a complex structure and is heavily influenced by environmental variables. These factors have to be understood before experiments can be appropriately designed and the data interpreted with some certainty. Even in the case of an experiment involving a `simple¿ measure of food intake, where the amount eaten in a fixed time period is measured, there are many possible choices that will influence the outcome. Our understanding of the neural mechanisms that underlie feeding suggests that the behavior is influenced by a distributed network that includes the brainstem nuclei, hypothalamic systems, ventral and dorsal components of the striatum, and cortical structures. These different brain areas, and the neurotransmitter systems that communicate within and between them, contribute differentially to the various phases of feeding behavior. The simplest subdivision is between appetitive, or preparatory, components that allow an animal to find food and a consummatory phase that includes the mechanisms responsible for both ingestion of food and the development of satiation. This article provides a brief review of the large number of animal models that are available to explore feeding behavior.

Item Type:	Book Section
Schools and Departments:	School of Psychology > Psychology
Depositing User:	Pete Clifton
Date Deposited:	06 Feb 2012 15:30
Last Modified:	06 Jun 2012 12:18
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/13011

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