Mental Imagery Emerges as a Central Node in Hunger, Satiety, and Eating Behavior

A new systematic review proposes that mental imagery—the ability to conjure sensory experiences of food in the mind—functions as an active, integrative component within the networks that govern hunger, satiety, and eating behavior, rather than as a passive byproduct of appetite. The review, published in Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, was conducted by Enrica Gaetano, Gianni Brighetti, and Rosita Borlimi and appeared online on 25 September 2026 as an open-access article.

The authors set out to address a gap in the literature: although food-related mental imagery has been implicated in craving, satiation, and eating pathology, its role had not previously been synthesized within a systems-level framework. Eating behavior, they argue, emerges from dynamic interactions among homeostatic, hedonic, and cognitive processes, and imagery may sit at the junction of all three.

Following PRISMA 2020 guidance, the researchers searched PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science from database inception to 30 September 2025. Eligible studies examined mental or chemosensory imagery in relation to eating behaviors or hunger–satiety regulation in general populations and clinically relevant samples. Two independent reviewers screened records and assessed risk of bias using RoB 2, ROBINS-I, and related tools.

Twenty-eight studies met the inclusion criteria, spanning experimental designs, ecological momentary assessment, and neuroimaging. The evidence that emerged was notably nuanced. Brief or vivid imagery often increased craving, whereas repeated mental simulation of eating reduced food-specific desire and intake through sensory-specific satiety, without consistently altering general hunger. This pattern, the authors suggest, helps explain what they call the amplification–satiation paradox: the same mental act can heighten or dampen desire depending on dose and context.

Modality mattered as well. Chemosensory imagery—imagined smells and tastes—showed stronger links with trait craving and cue reactivity than visual vividness did, indicating that the sensory channel through which food is imagined shapes its behavioral consequences.

The review also highlighted bidirectional psychophysiological coupling between imagery and the body’s appetite signals. Reported evidence included ghrelin eliciting mental imagery, and imagery being associated with cortisol and ghrelin responses. Effects were further moderated by context, including hunger state, cognitive resources, dietary restraint, and environmental cues.

On this basis, the authors propose a higher-order network model in which mental imagery acts as an integrative node connecting homeostatic, hedonic, and cognitive-affective components. They are explicit that this model is hypothesis-generating rather than empirically validated; its value, they argue, lies in offering an organizing framework capable of formalizing multi-way interactions among these systems, with implications for understanding both normative and disordered eating.

The authors caution that direct empirical validation is needed, particularly through longitudinal and network-sensitive designs in clinically diagnosed samples. The review is rated as Level I evidence, and the published version is an open-access article subject to the journal’s standard editorial processes.

Subject of Research: The role of food-related mental imagery in hunger, satiety, and eating behavior

Article Title: Mental imagery as a dynamic network node in hunger, satiety, and eating behavior: a systematic review

Article References: Gaetano, E., Brighetti, G., & Borlimi, R. (2026). Mental imagery as a dynamic network node in hunger, satiety, and eating behavior: a systematic review. Eating and Weight Disorders – Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-026-01903-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s40519-026-01903-y

Keywords: mental imagery, hunger, satiety, eating behavior, craving, sensory-specific satiety, ghrelin, systematic review, chemosensory imagery, eating disorders, appetite regulation, Mental