Abstract
Abstract Reward can be parsed into separate psychological features mediated by distinct neurobiological mechanisms. Motivation to pursue and consume rewards (‘wanting’) is largely mediated by brain dopamine and other neuropeptides among several reward-related areas within mesocorticolimbic circuitry. Pleasure derived from reward (‘liking’) is generated more independently of dopamine, and instead by transmission of opioids and other peptides in more localized regions within the brain’s reward circuitry (i.e., hedonic hotspots). The incentive sensitization theory of addiction proposes that neural adaptations caused by exposure to drugs of abuse increase ‘wanting’ over time, while ‘liking’ stays relatively the same. Highly palatable foods may cause similar neural and behavioral sensitization of brain ‘wanting’ systems, providing a potential framework with which to study the neuroscience of food addiction.
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