Food intake and energy expenditure are controlled by complex, redundant, and distributed neural systems that reflect the fundamental biological importance of adequate nutrient supply and energy balance. Much progress has been made in identifying the various hormonal and neural mechanisms by which the brain informs itself about availability of ingested and stored nutrients and, in turn, generates behavioral, autonomic, and endocrine output. While hypothalamus and caudal brainstem play crucial roles in this homeostatic function, areas in the cortex and limbic system are important for processing information regarding prior experience with food, reward, and emotion, as well as social and environmental context. Most vertebrates can store a considerable amount of energy as fat for later use, and this ability has now become one of the major health risks for many human populations. The predisposition to develop obesity can theoretically result from any pathological malfunction or lack of adaptation to changing environments of this highly complex system.

中文翻译：

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大脑，食欲和肥胖。

食物的摄入量和能量消耗由复杂，冗余和分布式的神经系统控制，这些系统反映了充足营养供应和能量平衡的根本生物学重要性。在识别各种激素和神经机制方面，已经取得了很大的进展，通过这种机制，大脑可以告知自身摄入和储存的营养物质的可用性，进而产生行为，自主和内分泌输出。下丘脑和尾脑干在这种稳态功能中起着至关重要的作用，而皮质和边缘系统的区域对于处理有关食物，奖励和情感以及社会和环境方面的先前经验的信息很重要。大多数脊椎动物可以储存大量能量作为脂肪供以后使用，现在，这种能力已成为许多人群面临的主要健康风险之一。从理论上讲，肥胖的诱因可能是由于任何病理性功能障碍或缺乏对这种高度复杂系统不断变化的环境的适应性所致。