(Press-News.org) Contact information: John Cramer
john.cramer@dartmouth.edu
603-646-9130
Dartmouth College
You want fries with that? Don't go there
New Dartmouth study of chronic dieters suggests brain disruptions weaken will power
A new Dartmouth neuroimaging study suggests chronic dieters overeat when the regions of their brain that balance impulsive behavior and self-control become disrupted, decreasing their capacity to resist temptation.
The findings, which appear in the journal Psychological Science, indicate that chronic dieters will have more success if they avoid situations that challenge their self-control. A PDF of the study is available on request.
The results shed new light on brain mechanisms involved in obesity, substance abuse and other impulsive health problems. Going forward, the Dartmouth researchers are looking into whether self-control can be strengthened over time – much like muscles are strengthened through exercise and rest -- by routinely resisting minor temptations, says Professor Todd Heatherton, the study's senior author and a pioneer in social neuroscience, or the study of links between brain processes and social behavior.
Previous studies suggest that people have a limited amount of self-control that dwindles when used to cope with stress, temptation and other challenges to our will power, leaving us vulnerable to impulsive and undesirable behavior. A 2011 Dartmouth study suggested self-control fails when the strength of an impulse exceeds the capacity to regulate it.
In the new study, 31 women who were chronic dieters completed an attention-control task that did or did not deplete their self-control. They then underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing images of high-calorie appetizing food. The results showed the depleted dieters had greater activity in the orbitofrontal cortex, an area of the brain related to food rewards. They also had reduced connectivity between this area and the inferior frontal gyrus, a region implicated in self-control.
The findings suggest that such depletion reduces a person's ability to engage in self-control by reducing connectivity between brain regions that are involved in cognitive control and those that represent rewards, thereby decreasing the capacity to resist temptations.
###
The research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.
Available to comment are Professor Todd Heatherton at todd.f.heatherton@dartmouth.edu and lead author Dylan Wagner, a post-doctoral research fellow, at dylan.d.wagner@dartmouth.edu
Broadcast studios: Dartmouth has TV and radio studios available for interviews. For more information, visit: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~opa/radio-tv-studios/
You want fries with that? Don't go there
New Dartmouth study of chronic dieters suggests brain disruptions weaken will power
2013-11-11
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Hormones impact stress, memories, and understanding social cues
2013-11-11
Hormones impact stress, memories, and understanding social cues
Research reveals new roles for estrogen and finds potential biomarker for maternal stress
SAN DIEGO — Research released today demonstrates unexpected roles that sex hormones may play in the cognitive function ...
How zinc starves lethal bacteria to stop infection
2013-11-11
How zinc starves lethal bacteria to stop infection
Australian researchers have found that zinc can 'starve' one of the world's most deadly bacteria by preventing its uptake of an essential metal.
The finding, by infectious disease ...
Molecular interplay explains many immunodeficiencies
2013-11-11
Molecular interplay explains many immunodeficiencies
Australian scientists have described an exquisitely balanced interplay of four molecules that trigger and govern antibody production in immune cells. As well as being an important basic science ...
Understanding immune system memory -- in a roundabout way
2013-11-11
Understanding immune system memory -- in a roundabout way
While the principle of immune memory has been known for decades, the exact molecular mechanisms underpinning it have remained a mystery. Australian scientists have now unraveled part ...
Study finds key link responsible for colon cancer initiation and metastasis
2013-11-11
Study finds key link responsible for colon cancer initiation and metastasis
Chronic inflammation has long been known as a key risk factor for cancer---particularly colon cancer---but the exact mechanisms of how inflammation heightens the immune response, ...
Visualizing the past: Nondestructive imaging of ancient fossils
2013-11-11
Visualizing the past: Nondestructive imaging of ancient fossils
New study integrates visualization techniques to examine 150-million-year-old plant fossils without damaging specimens
By integrating high-resolution X-ray imaging (termed microCT), 3D image segmentation, and computer ...
Obesity among risk factors for delayed lactation in women with gestational diabetes
2013-11-11
Obesity among risk factors for delayed lactation in women with gestational diabetes
OAKLAND, Calif. — Pre-pregnancy obesity and older maternal age are among the risk factors for delayed lactation for women with gestational diabetes mellitus, according to a Kaiser ...
When care is omitted -- new research on a taboo topic
2013-11-11
When care is omitted -- new research on a taboo topic
Registered nurses in hospitals often lack the time for nursing care activities, such as comfort or talk with patients or educating patients and relatives. A study by the Institute of Nursing Sciences at the University ...
22 million women aged over 50 are affected by osteoporosis in the European Union
2013-11-11
22 million women aged over 50 are affected by osteoporosis in the European Union
Menopause critical stage for osteoporosis risk assessment, warns International Osteoporosis Foundation
A recent report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation ...
Levitating foam liquid under the spell of magnetic fields
2013-11-11
Levitating foam liquid under the spell of magnetic fields
Foams fascinate, partly due to their short lifespan. Foams change as fluid drains out of their structure over time. It is precisely their ephemeral nature which has, until now, prevented scientists from ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Patient care technology disruptions associated with the CrowdStrike outage
New jab protects babies from serious lung infection, study shows
July Tip Sheet from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
Current application status and innovative development of surgical robot
Counterfeited in China: New book assesses state of industry and its future
Machine learning reveals historical seismic events in the Yellowstone caldera
First analyses of Myanmar earthquake conclude fault ruptured at supershear velocity
Curved fault slip captured on CCTV during Myanmar earthquake
Collaboration rewarded for work to further deployment of batteries in emerging economies
Heart-healthy habits also prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, COPD, other diseases, Emory study finds
Scientists will use a $1M grant to build a support system addressing sea level rise and flooding in South Florida
New research examines how pH impacts the immune system
Inhaled agricultural dust disrupts gut health
New study reveals hidden regulatory roles of “junk” DNA
Taking the sting out of ulcerative colitis
Deep life’s survival secret: Crustal faulting generates key energy sources, study shows
Idaho National Laboratory to lead advancements in US semiconductor manufacturing
AI-assisted sorting, other new technologies could improve plastic recycling
More than just larks and owls!
Call for nominations: 2026 Dan David Prize
New tool gives anyone the ability to train a robot
Coexistence of APC and KRAS mutations in familial adenomatous polyposis and endometrial cancer: A mini-review with case-based perspective
First global-to-local study reveals stark health inequalities from COVID-19 in 2020–2021
rcssci: Simplifying complex data relationships with enhanced visual clarity
Why some ecosystems collapse suddenly—and others don’t
One-third of U.S. public schools screen students for mental health issues
GLP-1 RA use and survival among older adults with cancer and type 2 diabetes
Trends in physician exit from fee-for-service Medicare
Systematic investigation of tumor microenvironment and antitumor immunity with IOBR
Common feature between forest fires and neural networks reveals the universal framework underneath
[Press-News.org] You want fries with that? Don't go thereNew Dartmouth study of chronic dieters suggests brain disruptions weaken will power