Insulin actions in the mesolimbic dopamine system

Abstract

As a major circulating feeding related hormone, insulin crosses the brain blood barrier and acts on the central nervous system to modulate both homeostatic and non-homeostatic feeding behaviours. The mesolimbic dopamine system is implicated in motivation and the reinforcement of food intake, and it can be delicately tuned in response to insulin. Studies have demonstrated differential effects of insulin in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) compared to the nucleus accumbens (NAc). This review summarizes current findings and discusses possible explanations for the discrepancies of insulin effects on the VTA and NAc in the normal and insulin resistant conditions.

Keywords: Diabetes; Dopamine; Dopamine transporters; Insulin; Nucleus Accumbens; Obesity; Ventral tegmental area.