Visual Food Cues May Lead To Overeating Even Without Hunger

The study was conducted by Xu Xu, M.D., pediatric endocrine fellow astatine Texas Children's Hospital, and Hesong Liu, Ph.D., erstwhile postdoctoral chap astatine CNRC and presently adjunct professor of Neuroscience and Physiology astatine Upstate Medical University successful Syracuse, in Yong Xu's lab.

In the study, 14 mice were divided into 2 groups: group A mice were either fed aliases fasted overnight earlier testing, while group B mice were ever fed earlier testing. The mice were paired based connected familial and parental accusation and placed successful abstracted but adjacent areas to observe each different without beingness contact. The researchers measured nan magnitude of nutrient nan mice ate hourly for 4 hours crossed different trial days, utilizing chow, high-fat, and sucrose diets.

In a follow-up experiment, group B mice received injections of either 0.1 ml of 9% saline, a D1 dopamine receptor (DRD1) inhibitor (SCH23390, 0.1 mg/kg), aliases a D2 dopamine receptor (DRD2) inhibitor (Eticlopride, 1 mg/kg) 15 minutes earlier testing, and nutrient intake was measured.

Interestingly, satiated mice that watched fasted peers eat did not devour much chow aliases high-fat food. However, they importantly accrued their intake of nan sucrose fare during nan first hr of observation-both successful nan first and repeated experiments. This overeating persisted aft saline injections but was suppressed by dopamine receptor inhibitors.

"This study shows, successful animals, that simply watching different eat-especially palatable food-can origin overeating, moreover erstwhile not hungry," Xu said. "It besides identifies a circumstantial encephalon strategy (dopamine signaling) that helps explicate why this happens. This type of behavior, driven by biology and societal cues, is very applicable successful today's world, wherever nutrient is abundant and eating shows aliases food-related societal media are common."

The researchers propose that recognizing this shape whitethorn thief group go much mindful of overeating, a awesome facet successful obesity, and unfastened nan doorway for caller treatments.