Lecture 11+12 AI generated

Question 1

Describe the most important ANS measures in nutritional research.

Answer 1

The most important ANS measures in nutritional research include arousal rating, noradrenalin/norepinephrine levels, skin conductance, and skin temperature.

Question 2

Describe how heart rate variability measures and skin conductance level can be measured.

Answer 2

Heart rate variability measures can be measured using specialized equipment to track variations in heart rate, while skin conductance level can be measured by assessing the speed of electrical conductance in the skin.

Question 3

Explain how ANS measures can be used in nutritional research.

Answer 3

ANS measures can be used in nutritional research to understand the impact of eating on emotions, moods, and wellbeing by providing objective data alongside subjective questionnaires.

Question 4

Define the sympathetic nervous system’s response in the body.

Answer 4

The sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight or flight response, increasing blood flow to muscles, raising heart rate, and decreasing digestive motility.

Question 5

Define the parasympathetic nervous system’s response in the body.

Answer 5

The parasympathetic nervous system increases blood flow to organs and skin, enhances digestive motility, and decreases heart rate, promoting a rest and digest state.

Question 6

Explain the significance of skin conductance in measuring the sympathetic nervous system.

Answer 6

Skin conductance, dependent on sweat levels controlled by the sympathetic nervous system, is a key measure for assessing sympathetic activity and is considered the gold standard for SNS measurement.

Question 7

Describe the placement of sensors for measuring skin conductance.

Answer 7

Sensors are applied to fingers, palms, or soles of the feet, typically on the index finger and ring finger where there is more sweat production.

Question 8

What are the two types of changes observed in skin conductance measurements?

Answer 8

Tonic changes, which are slow and unrelated to events, and phasic changes, which are event-related and appear as peaks.

Question 9

Define heart rate variability and how it is measured.

Answer 9

Heart rate variability measures the variation in time intervals between heartbeats, calculated from the ECG signal by analyzing the inter beat intervals.

Question 10

How can sympathetic and parasympathetic contributions be differentiated in heart rate variability analysis?

Answer 10

By observing the speed of changes, where parasympathetic activity shows higher variability and faster changes, while sympathetic activity exhibits slower changes.

Question 11

What is the minimum duration of recording required for heart rate variability analysis?

Answer 11

A minimum of 5 minutes of recording is typically needed for accurate heart rate variability assessment.

Question 12

Describe the two types of signal processing methods used in heart rate variability analysis.

Answer 12

Time domain processing involves using inter beat intervals directly, with RMSSD as a common metric; frequency domain processing displays frequency components in a power spectrum.

Question 13

Describe the relationship between the high frequency (HF) band and parasympathetic condition.

Answer 13

The high frequency (HF) band is related to the parasympathetic condition.

Question 14

What does the low frequency (LF)/ (HF) band ratio indicate in terms of physiological conditions?

Answer 14

The low frequency (LF)/ (HF) band ratio is related to the sympathetic and parasympathetic condition.

Question 15

How can the LF/HF ratio help determine the level of parasympathetic condition?

Answer 15

If the LF/HF ratio is very low, it indicates a high parasympathetic condition.

Question 16

Define addiction in the context of neurobiology.

Answer 16

Addiction is the compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and withdrawal symptoms.

Question 17

What are the two main components of reward processing related to addiction and overeating?

Answer 17

The two main components are liking (pleasure during consumption) and wanting (motivational transformation of learned stimuli).

Question 18

Mention a method to objectively measure reward in terms of brain activity.

Answer 18

Reward can be measured using neuroimaging techniques.

Question 19

How are cue-induced habits related to the brain’s striatum?

Answer 19

Cue-induced habits rely on the striatum, specifically the ventral and medial regions.

Question 20

Understand the concept of overeating in relation to energetic needs.

Answer 20

Overeating refers to eating uncoupled from energetic needs.

Question 21

What are some ways to measure reward objectively in terms of cognitive processes?

Answer 21

Cognitive measures such as motivated actions and learning rate can be used to measure reward.

Question 22

How are different types of rewards processed in the brain?

Answer 22

There is an overlap in the brain’s processing of various rewards, including monetary, food, and erotic rewards.

Question 23

Describe the difference between a habit and controlled behavior.

Answer 23

A habit is a response to a stimulus/cue independent of the outcome, while controlled behavior considers the consequences of an action.

Question 24

What is the role of dopamine in addiction and overeating?

Answer 24

Dopamine is involved in wanting, predicting rewards, and is linked to the parallels between addiction and overeating.

Question 25

How can the reward processes in the brain be measured?

Answer 25

The reward processes in the brain can be measured with a PET scan by injecting a PET ligand/tracer that binds to dopamine receptors.

Question 26

What is the relationship between dopamine receptors and obesity?

Answer 26

Obese individuals tend to have fewer dopamine receptors compared to healthy individuals.

Question 27

Explain the concept of cue-induced dopamine release in binge eating disorder.

Answer 27

Cue-induced dopamine release predicts the severity of binge eating disorder, with higher dopamine release correlating with stronger cravings.

Question 28

What brain regions show increased activation in obese individuals when viewing high calorie pictures?

Answer 28

In obese individuals, there is more activation in the ventral striatum and midbrain (dopamine areas) when viewing high calorie pictures compared to healthy individuals.

Question 29

Describe the relationship between obesity and reduced goal-directed food choices in an outcome devaluation paradigm.

Answer 29

Obesity is associated with reduced adaptation of food choices after selective satiation, indicating reduced goal-directed control.

Question 30

Define the impact of obesity on grey matter volume in the posterior putamen.

Answer 30

Obesity is associated with increased grey matter volume in the posterior putamen, a region related to habits.

Question 31

How does the consumption of a milkshake affect the striatum in individuals with high BMI and a risk allele of a dopamine gene?

Answer 31

Individuals with high BMI and the risk allele show less changes in the striatum after consuming a milkshake, especially in comparison to those with a low BMI.

Question 32

Do individuals with addiction exhibit a blunted dopamine response in the striatum after consuming a stimulant drug?

Answer 32

Yes, individuals with addiction show a blunted dopamine response in the striatum after consuming a stimulant drug, as demonstrated using PET scans.

Question 33

Describe the parallels between addiction and obesity in terms of brain activity.

Answer 33

Both addiction and obesity show increased sensitivity to reward cues, decreased availability of dopamine receptors, decreased dopamine synthesis, decreased goal-directed behavior, and decreased sensitivity to consumption of reward in the brain.