Time and venue: Aprill 25th, 12h. Conference Room 1, CIMCYC
Abstract:
Overeating and obesity have been traditionally viewed as a problem of energy regulation, and the research on its brain mechanisms has focused on the hypothalamus. However, increases in food availability and attractiveness, as well as changes in lifestyle, have made evident that extra-hypothalamic brain systems including frontostriatal circuits involved in reward valuation and decision-making are needed to regulate dietary intake and weight. I will present evidence from food-fMRI activation and connectivity studies showing that striatal, insula and prefrontal systems involved in reward processing, interoception (perception of bodily changes) and food choices are linked to high-calorie food choices and obesity, and can hinder attempts to regulate dietary decisions and control weight gain. I will also show a research translation pipeline that is enabling us to translate neuroscience findings into clinical and technology-based interventions for overeating related disorders.