Brains of anorexics and overeaters respond differently, researchers say

A study presented at the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society illustrates that the brain’s people who eat too much and people who eat too little may function on two completely different wavelengths. Researchers found that certain areas of the brain are sluggish in people who eat too little, and hyperactive in people who eat too much. When deprived of any delectable meals for a prolonged period of time, individuals with anorexia had lower brain activity in the hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus (areas of the brain where that urge of food subsist). At the other end of the spectrum, obese individuals had higher brain activity within the very same regions. These findings may prove pivotal if we were to ever find remedial treatments for eating disorders such as obesity and anorexia.

http://www.examiner.com/article/brains-of-anorexics-and-overeaters-respond-differently-researchers-say