Diversity in the lateral hypothalamic input to the ventral tegmental area

The obesity epidemic is one of the biggest health challenges globally and rates have tripled since 1975. Overeating is the largest determinant of obesity, yet little is understood of the neural mechanisms underlying why individuals consume food regardless of satiety. The lateral hypothalamic (LH) input to the ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been critically implicated in regulating appetitive and reward-related behaviours. However, these projections are genetically heterogeneous and have different responses to leptin. Therefore each of these projections may play a different role in modulating the VTA. This review characterizes each of these known LH to VTA projections in their roles in regulating appetitive behaviour. This article is part of the Special Issue entitled 'Hypothalamic Control of Homeostasis'.