Figure 1. Schematic diagram depicting the deep brain stimulation (DBS) targets for obesity and their role in homeostatic pathway of energy balance.

The LH is responsible for providing anabolic feedback onto the autonomic nervous system effectors. The nucleus accumbens (NAc) is the center of the reward pathway in the brain integrating inputs from various high cortical brain areas and the limbic system to reinforce certain beneficial behaviors, such as feeding. Integration of the reward pathways with feeding behavior begins with dopamine release from the ventral tegmental area (VTA) neurons that project onto the nucleus accumbens (NAc). Within the NAc, there are neurons that projection onto the lateral hypothalamus (LH) which contain neurons that stimulate food intake. These nuclei also respond to various hormonal peptides, such as leptin, that are released by the the metabolic systems of the body that link food intake and energy metabolism to the reward pathways within the brain.