Hunger, Satiety, and Their Vulnerabilities

Abstract

The psychological states of hunger and satiety play an important role in regulating human food intake. Several lines of evidence suggest that these states rely upon declarative learning and memory processes, which are based primarily in the medial temporal lobes (MTL). The MTL, and particularly the hippocampus, is unusual in that it is especially vulnerable to insult. Consequently, we examine here the impact on hunger and satiety of conditions that: (1) are central to ingestive behaviour and where there is evidence of MTL pathology (i.e., habitual consumption of a Western-style diet, obesity, and anorexia nervosa); and (2) where there is overwhelming evidence of MTL pathology, but where ingestive behaviour is not thought central (i.e., temporal lobe epilepsy and post-traumatic stress disorder). While for some of these conditions the evidence base is currently limited, the general conclusion is that MTL impairment is linked, sometimes strongly, to dysfunctional hunger and satiety. This focus on the MTL, and declarative learning and memory processes, has implications for the development of alternative treatment approaches for the regulation of appetite.

Keywords: appetite; declarative memory; hunger; interoception; medial temporal lobe; remediation; satiety; temporal cues.

Figure 1

Declarative memory models of specific and general hunger and satiety.

Figure 2

Upper panel: Participants with a Western-style dietary pattern, with their mean ratings (and standard error) for palatable snack foods for specific hunger (on looking at the food) and liking (on tasting the food) before and after a meal. Lower panel, the same, for participants with a healthier dietary pattern. Data adapted from [66].