Body weight and adiposity represent biologically controlled parameters that are influenced by a combination of genetic, developmental and environmental variables. Although the hypothalamus plays a crucial role in matching caloric intake with energy expenditure to achieve a stable body weight, it is now recognized that neuronal circuits in the hindbrain not only serve to produce nausea and to terminate feeding in response to food consumption or during pathological states, but also contribute to the long-term control of body weight. Additionally, recent work has identified hindbrain neurons that are capable of suppressing food intake without producing aversive responses like those associated with nausea. Here we review recent advances in our understanding of the hindbrain neurons that control feeding, particularly those located in the area postrema and the nucleus tractus solitarius. We frame this information in the context of new atlases of hindbrain neuronal populations and develop a model of the hindbrain circuits that control food intake and energy balance, suggesting important areas for additional research.

体重和肥胖代表受遗传、发育和环境变量组合影响的生物控制参数。尽管下丘脑在使热量摄入与能量消耗相匹配以实现稳定的体重方面发挥着至关重要的作用，但现在人们认识到，后脑中的神经元回路不仅会产生恶心，还会在食物消耗或病理状态下终止进食，也有助于长期控制体重。此外，最近的工作已经确定后脑神经元能够抑制食物摄入，而不会产生与恶心相关的厌恶反应。在这里，我们回顾了我们对控制进食的后脑神经元的理解的最新进展，特别是位于后区和孤束核的那些。我们在新的后脑神经元群体图谱的背景下构建了这些信息，并开发了一个控制食物摄入和能量平衡的后脑回路模型，为进一步研究提供了重要领域。