The gut and heart’s role in reward processing

Reward processing, which ensures survival, has evolved to also shape emotions, learning, and overall well-being. While traditional models of reward have focused predominantly on central neural circuits, emerging evidence underscores the role of peripheral bodily signals. This represents a new opport...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Minel Arinel, Karim Abdelaal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-07-01
Series:Frontiers in Integrative Neuroscience
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2025.1479923/full
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Summary:Reward processing, which ensures survival, has evolved to also shape emotions, learning, and overall well-being. While traditional models of reward have focused predominantly on central neural circuits, emerging evidence underscores the role of peripheral bodily signals. This represents a new opportunity by which we may understand neurological and neuropsychiatric health. In this review, we explore the gut-brain and heart-brain interfaces in reward processing, delineating their contributions across distinct phases of reward and offering insights into their bioenergetic significance. By framing this interplay within an adaptive and clinical context, we propose new avenues for understanding and treating neuropsychiatric disorders through a mind–body medicine lens.
ISSN:1662-5145