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Abstract
What brain reward systems mediate motivational 'wanting' and hedonic 'liking' for
food rewards? And what roles do those systems play in eating disorders? This article
surveys recent findings regarding brain mechanisms of hedonic 'liking', such as the
existence of cubic-millimeter hedonic hotspots in nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum
for opioid amplification of sensory pleasure. It also considers brain 'wanting' or
incentive salience systems important to appetite, such as mesolimbic dopamine systems
and opioid motivation circuits that extend beyond the hedonic hotspots. Finally, it
considers some potential ways in which 'wanting' and 'liking' might relate to eating
disorders.