A growing body of evidence shows the impact of diet on brain function, and identifies patterns of brain activity associated with eating disorders such as binge eating and purging.
These studies are valuable in helping generate new strategies to treat disorders from obesity to anorexia.
Targeted magnetic stimulation of the brain reduces the symptoms of severe eating disorders, including bingeing and purging. These findings may represent a new treatment tool for patients with eating disorders (Jonathan Downar, MD, PhD, abstract 540.01).
Rats that are more naturally impulsive tend to consume more calories on a binge. Findings suggest that this may be due to an imbalance in the brain's serotonin system (Noelle Anastasio, PhD, abstract 547.13).
Consuming a diet of red meat and processed foods is linked to a decline in verybal memory in the elderly after just 36 months (Samantha Gardener).
Consuming cannabis can influence body weight of offspring for generations (Yasmin Hurd, PhD, presentation 685.05).
Eating a sweet, high-fat meal sets off a series of events that includes the release of insulin and suppression of dopamine, leading to less interest in food-related cues in the environment (Stephanie Borgland, PhD, presentation 685.06).
