Study discovers specific area of brain prompting desire to overeat
Video Credit: ANI - Duration: 01:10s - Published
Study discovers specific area of brain prompting desire to overeat
A study led by the 10-member team of researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso discovered a specific area of the brain tied to recollection and the desire to seek and consume food.
It could lead to a way to inhibit the desire to overeat.
Science is a step closer to a new response to obesity, thanks in part to a study conducted by a team that included Sergio Iniguez, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at The University of Texas at El Paso.
Iniguez, who directs UTEP's Iniguez Behavioral Neuroscience Lab and helped design novel experimental techniques for the research, said that people tend to overeat when exposed to cues or environments that remind them of treats, which is one reason why people opt for dessert even after a filling meal.
The study showed that neurons in a specific part of the brain control the link between the cue (seeing the dessert) and the action (ordering the dessert).
Iniguez and team found that animal subjects consumed fewer treats when they regulated that region of the animal's brain.
The techniques and the data eventually could help overcome some issues linked to obesity such as stroke, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high levels of bad cholesterol, and coronary heart disease.
"This is a big discovery because we now have experimental tools that allow us to turn off neurons while the subjects engage in a specific behavior," Iniguez said.
"This research shows that a specific part of the prefrontal cortex of the brain is important for the initial stages of learning to seek food."
Phase One Investigative Maui Wildfire Report , to Be Released Next Month.
ABC reports that seven months after deadly
wildfires devastated Maui, an investigative
report will be released on April 17, 2024.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez commissioned the
Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI) to conduct an
independent investigation alongside several local agencies.
The first phase of the investigation is meant
to analyze how the disaster unfolded during
the first 24 to 72 hours, as well as its aftermath. .
The report also includes
a comprehensive timeline of events. .
According to the AG's office, the FSRI research
team ran into unexpected delays while
gathering information critical to their review. .
In November of 2023, subpoenas were served to the
Maui Emergency Management Agency, the County
of Maui Department of Public Works and the
County of Maui Department of Water Supply.
Those subpoenas demanded materials relevant
to the investigation, including documents and photos, as well as video and audio recordings.
Being able to review all of the data,
which is extensive, has a tremendous
impact on the comprehensive analysis
of the fire incident and our
recommendations to make Hawaiʻi
a safer place to live, work and play, Steve Kerber, Ph.D., PE, vice president and executive director of FSRI, via ABC.
An analysis of this magnitude cannot be
rushed, and we must allow for the time
needed to make sure this investigation,
based on science, is done correctly, Anne Lopez, Hawaii Attorney General, via ABC.
I am confident that the Phase One
report will provide some answers
to the questions surrounding
the tragic wildfire incident, Anne Lopez, Hawaii Attorney General, via ABC
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Climate Change Altering , Wildfire Patterns, , Increasing the Risk of Night Fires.
'Newsweek' reports that North America is facing an
"emerging phenomenon" in which the dangerous
conditions that spawn wildfires occur during the night. .
Typically, these conditions have only existed
during the daytime, as the cooler temperatures
of night usually alleviate these conditions.
Researchers found that accumulated
fuel dryness brought on by drought
has led to fires thriving at night. .
I think it is important to bring this
emerging phenomenon to the
public to let them know that
the night might not save us, Kaiwei Luo, Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, via 'Newsweek'.
The team's findings challenge conventional methods of
fighting wildfires, as cooler night temperatures and higher
humidity previously worked to slow wildfires' growth.
Originally, I had thought that
since nights are warming faster
than days, higher temperatures
and the associated lower relative
humidity at night would lead
to more overnight fires, Mike Flannigan, University of Alberta professor emeritus and researcher with Thompson Rivers University, via 'Newsweek'.
In the extreme cases, there would be
no difference between an overnight
burn event and daytime burning, Kaiwei Luo, Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, via 'Newsweek'.
Researchers found that daytime
drought conditions could be used as a , "predictor of overnight burning events.".
Nighttime burning has long been
overlooked. In a warmer and drier
world, we can use daytime drought
indicators to predict the night.
More of these fires also increase
the likelihood of a catastrophic fire, Kaiwei Luo, Ph.D. student at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, via 'Newsweek'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
This Day in History:, Albert Einstein Is Born.
March 14, 1879.
The celebrated theoretical physicist
who radically enhanced human understanding
of the universe was born in Ulm, Germany.
Einstein spent his childhood
in Italy and Germany.
Studying physics and mathematics,
he was awarded a Ph.D. by the
University of Zurich in 1905.
During that same year, Einstein worked as a patent clerk in Bern. He also published five theoretical papers that would transform modern physics.
Known as Einstein's "miracle year,"
his papers included his general theory of relativity
as well as the equation E=mc².
The papers were almost immediately
embraced by the scientific community.
They marked the beginning of
one of the most extraordinary
scientific careers in history
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:00Published
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