Sensory Feedback in Regulation of Body Weight: is there a Ponderostat?

Abstract

IT has been postulated that “some correlate of body weight” might control daily food intake^1,2. This could work through sensory feedback, as in the case of behavioural temperature regulation. In thermal sensation a stimulus (limited to between 15° and 45° C) feels pleasant when it is conducive to homoeo-thermia and unpleasant when it threatens homoeothermia. This transformation of pleasantness is dependent not only on internal signals but also on the thermoregulatory set point³. The change of sensation from pleasant to unpleasant depending on the internal state also applies to taste and smell^4,5. We have explored this phenomenon further, to determine whether these changes in olfactory and gustatory sensations also were dependent on a set-point related to body weight. If modification of body weight also affects gustatory and olfactory sensation, this will provide strong evidence for (a) the existence of a regulatory process for body weight, and (b) the use of sensory feedback in feeding behaviour.