A Molecularly Defined Insular to Central Amygdala Circuit Controls Conditioned Overconsumption

Feeding is a complex motivated behavior that is controlled not just by metabolic and homeostatic factors, but also by environmental factors such as emotion and the hedonic nature of the food itself. Yet, little is known about how brain regions involved in cognition and emotion might contribute to overeating, and therefore, obesity and binge eating. In order to probe this neural circuitry, we recently developed a task in which cues associated with food availability can later lead to increased food consumption in sated mice.