Researchers at Missouri University (MU) found in a recent study that deactivating the brain region involved with emotion could block the consumption of certain foods, but may not stop the craving for those foods.

Matthew Will, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at MU, described the experiment as possibly "short-circuiting" the brain networks which are associated with shifting from craving to consumption.

The experiment was conducted using rats. In both rats and humans, the brain releases chemicals known as opioids, which reward certain behaviors. Opioids have been shown to trigger binge eating in non-hungry rats and humans.

"The hope is that the more detailed we can biologically define the feeding process from beginning to end, the more we will understand how to address a feeding disorder such as overeating," Will said. "Since overeating is not a product of a hunger epidemic in this country but rather an addiction to food, this model is trying to figure out what in the brain regulates this latter type of feeding."

(Source: www.columbiamissourian.com)

Labels: binge-eating, emotions, opioids, brain chemistry

Posted By: Aspen Education Group