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Experiments have shown that disruption of brain signaling can lead to overeating (overeating) and obesity.
The number of obese people worldwide has doubled since 1980. About 2 billion people are overweight, 600 million of them have been diagnosed as obese.
One of the biological causes of obesity is problems in the central nervous system, which causes a mismatch between the energy we receive and expend. The amount of food consumed is influenced by the metabolism of the body and the regulation of homeostasis, on the one hand, and on the other, by the “pleasure center” of the brain and the sense organs (smell, taste). When the transmission of certain brain signals is disrupted, these systems become unbalanced, and we begin to eat more than we need. These are the reasons for overeating.
Scientists from Vanderbilt University (USA) conducted a study to learn more about the causes and mechanisms leading to overeating. They hope to find a way to “turn off” these mechanisms and prevent overeating and obesity.
Read more:
- How the brain makes us overeat
“It has always amazed us that many animals (and people) tend to eat too much food, even when they are already full. By consuming a large amount of food, people begin to eat even more, which, in the end, undermines their ability to control the number of calories consumed, does not allow them to lose weight, or does not allow them to maintain the desired weight, ”explains one of the authors of the work, Aurelio Galli (Aurelio Galli).
Most of all, researchers were interested in the so-called insulin signaling pathway in the brain. Disturbances in this pathway can bring down the body’s natural mechanisms for regulating homeostasis, shifting the balance towards enjoyment of food, and, as a result, overeating.
The so-called rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) is a group of proteins associated with insulin signaling pathways. Scientists genetically modified brain cells in experimental mice by removing part of the mTORC2 complex. It turned out that mice with mTORC2 dysfunction ate too much fatty food, however, when they were given only low-fat food, they ate moderately. These mice also showed reduced levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Decreased dopamine activity in the brain is associated with the development of obesity in both animals and humans. It may also be associated with the development of drug addiction.
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- Anxious thoughts lead to fullness
“We see a system that is designed to control the amount of food consumed, especially fatty and sweet. However, with excessive consumption of such products, this system begins to change and ceases to perform its functions correctly. There are changes in the areas of the brain responsible for controlling overeating, – for example, due to the development of insulin resistance. Our study shows that when certain signaling pathways in this area of the brain begin to malfunction, a vicious cycle occurs – an increase in the consumption of fatty and sugary foods, which in turn leads to further changes in the brain, ”says Aurelio Galli.
In the future, the researchers are looking to restore the mTORC2 signaling pathway in obese mice to see if it will help them reduce their calorie intake.
Подробнее см. G. Aurelioi et al. «Impaired mTORC2 signaling in catecholaminergic neurons exaggerates high fat diet-induced hyperphagia», Heliyon, vol. 1, September 2015.