Learning and the motivation to eat: forebrain circuitry
1Department of Psychology, Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. gorica.petrovich@bc.edu
Physiology & Behavior
|May 10, 2011
Summary
Learned environmental cues can override the body's natural hunger signals, influencing eating behaviors. Understanding these brain mechanisms is key to addressing obesity and eating disorders.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Science
- Physiology
Background:
- Appetite and eating are influenced by both energy needs and external environmental factors.
- Learned environmental cues can override homeostatic signals, impacting eating in both sated and hungry states.
- Environmental factors are implicated in obesity and eating disorders like anorexia nervosa.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how learned environmental cues interact with homeostatic signals in feeding control.
- To explore the underlying brain mechanisms of cue-driven feeding and appetite regulation.
- To develop rodent models for studying the integration of learned cues and physiological needs.
Main Methods:
- Development of two rodent models to study cue-driven feeding.
- One model demonstrates cue-induced eating in sated rats after associative learning with food.
- The second model shows cue-induced feeding inhibition in food-deprived rats after fear conditioning.
Main Results:
- Evidence suggests a forebrain network (amygdala, lateral hypothalamus, medial prefrontal cortex) mediates cue-driven feeding.
- A separate amygdalar circuitry appears to mediate fear-induced suppression of eating.
- Rodent models show learned cues can powerfully influence feeding behavior.
Conclusions:
- Learned environmental cues play a significant role in modulating feeding behavior beyond homeostatic needs.
- The findings provide insights into brain networks controlling appetite and eating.
- Understanding these mechanisms may inform strategies for managing overeating and anorexia nervosa.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Regulation of Food Intake
Short-term regulation of food intake primarily involves neural signals from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, blood nutrient levels, and GI tract hormones. Communication between the gut and brain via vagal nerve fibers plays a significant role in evaluating the contents of the gut. Clinical studies have shown that protein ingestion produces a more prolonged response in these nerve fibers compared to an equivalent amount of glucose. Additionally, the activation of stretch receptors caused by GI...
01:30Diencephalon: Anatomical Regions
The diencephalon, etymologically translated as 'through brain,' plays an integral role as the conduit between the cerebrum and the vast extent of the nervous system. However, the olfactory system is an exception, as it interfaces directly with the cerebrum. The diencephalon, deeply ensconced beneath the cerebrum, primarily consists of three paired structures — the thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithelamus. It also includes accessory structures such as the subthalamus, which houses the subthalamic...
01:26Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or playing an...
01:37Neural Regulation
Digestion begins with a cephalic phase that prepares the digestive system to receive food. When our brain processes visual or olfactory information about food, it triggers impulses in the cranial nerves innervating the salivary glands and stomach to prepare for food.
01:15Functional Brain Systems: Limbic System
The limbic system, often called the "emotional brain," is a complex set of structures located deep within the brain. The intricate network of the limbic system supports a wide range of psychological functions, from emotional regulation to memory formation and sensory processing. This functional brain region encompasses specific parts of the diencephalon and the cerebrum, integrating the higher mental functions of the cerebral cortex with the primitive emotional responses of the deep brain...
01:23Diencephalon: Hypothalamus and Coordination
The hypothalamus is a small yet highly complex and essential brain region that plays a crucial role in regulating various bodily functions. Anatomically, it is located at the base of the brain, just above the brainstem and below the thalamus, forming part of the limbic system.
The hypothalamus interacts with other brain regions, including the pituitary gland, through a direct physical connection called the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The hypothalamus receives somatic and visceral inputs and...
The hypothalamus interacts with other brain regions, including the pituitary gland, through a direct physical connection called the hypothalamic-pituitary axis. The hypothalamus receives somatic and visceral inputs and...