Obesity- Neural Flashcards
What areas of the brain are associated with eating behaviours
Hypothalamus
VMH
How may leptin influence obesity
Produced by fat tissues in stomach to signal hypothalamus that eating should cease
Leptin may not be produced or there may be a lack of sensitivity to it leading to obesity
How may dopamine effect obesity
Rewarding
If dopamine is less active in the brain the individual may eat in order to increase levels of dopamine
Research into neural obesity
Reeves and Plum
Stice
What did reeves and plum do
Post mortem on obese female and found her vmh had been destroyed
What did stice do
Obese people have portly functioning dorsal striatum which leads to lessened dopamine signalling to brain
Lead to overeating
Evaluation of neural explanation (same as for EB)
Practical applications Research of vmh on animals Too simplistic Scientific Deterministic
