The hypothalamus has long been considered essential in the regulation of food intake and energy homeostasis. Humoral signals from the body and afferent neuronal pathways from the brainstem and the spinal cord to the hypothalamus constitute the inputs to the hypothalamic neuronal circuits where orexigenic the anorexigenic programs are synchronized. From the hypothalamus, commands through descending neuronal pathways and further up through vagal and spinal neurons get the responding cells in the body. A great variety of neuronal peptides, biogenic amines and endocannabinoids, as well as their receptors are involved in the different stages and time points within this complex regulatory mechanism. Here, we provide a brief neuroanatomical summary of the neurons, pathways and brain regions that constitute the food intake regulatory circuits with special interest of recent findings on 1) the role of the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus as an open gate for humoral signals (ghrelin, leptin, insulin, glucose) to orexigenic and anorexigenic hypothalamic neurons, 2) the neurochemical organization of the intrahypothalamic neuronal circuit that may keep a balance in food intake by analyzing and responding to special sensory signals as, hunger and satiety, 3) recent knowledge and new experimental data for the possible role of newly recognized and characterized peptides, like prolactin-releasing peptide, glucagon-1-like neuropeptide, nesfatin-1 and urocortin III in the central regulation of food intake, 4) the sites and functional significance of interaction between neuropeptides and central catecholaminergic neurons in the food intake and energy metabolism, and 5) fine localization of neuronal pathways in the human brain through we recognize hunger and/or satiety and respond to them appropriate, intentionally or consensually.