Interactions between metabolic, cognitive and reward processes in appetite

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Recent research has helped us understand the processes that lead us to prefer certain foods over others and the factors that influence how much we eat. We know that through experience we learn that some foods are very rewarding to eat and this learning influences our food choices. We also know that signals relating to the ingestion of food arising from the body (metabolic signals) modulate processes in the brain that are important for determining how much a food is desired. Food is less attractive when we have just eaten for this reason. Our food choices are also influenced by cognitive processes such as attention and memory, for example, when thinking about food we are likely to pay attention to food in the environment and may be more likely to eat. Although we know that metabolic signals and cognitive processes directly influence food reward we know very little about how these factors interact to affect eating. New evidence from our research team suggests that metabolic signals may affect food reward indirectly via modulation of higher cognitive functions. The aim of this research programme is to investigate this idea by examining the effects of specific metabolic signals on cognitive processes and food reward. This is a new approach to the study of food choice and the results will have implications for both theory and practice. Potential practical benefits will include the possibility of developing more effective interventions to help people control their food intake.