Endocrine Abstracts

Accumulating evidence suggests that ghrelin’s physiological role extends beyond appetite and energy balance to include reward-seeking behaviour both for food (a natural reward) and chemical drugs. The neurochemical circuitry that links ghrelin to reward behavior and the level of the mesolimbic reward system remains unclear. Ghrelin receptors can be found on the ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons. It is not known, however, which dopaminergic projections are rele...