PHILADELPHIA, June 23 (UPI) -- A U.S. Department of Energy study finds food stimulation increases local brain activity, which could help find a chemical cause for eating disorders.
The department's research team presented the findings at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 51st Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. They said eating behaviors are influenced by many factors such as stress, ability to restrict food intake and perceived hunger.
The study used brain imaging techniques to evaluate how the brain responds when a subject is presented with food. Not everyone responded the same way.
People with higher metabolic brain activity in the left ventral striatum of the brain were more sensitive to food stimulation and needed to exercise more cognitive restraint. Therefore, it was harder for them to diet.
"If we know how the brain reacts to food and hunger, we can figure out what occurs chemically during perceived abnormal responses," said Dr. Gene-Jack Wang, a department researcher. "The hope is that ... we will be able to manage things like eating disorders and find new and innovative treatment options."
