The selfish brain: competition for energy resources

Peters, Achim; Schweiger, Ulrich; Pellerin, Luc; Hubold, Christian; Oltmanns, Kerstin M.; Conrad, Matthias; Schultes, Bernd; Born, Jan; Fehm, H. L.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2004.03.002

Cited by 410 publications

(213 citation statements)

References 254 publications

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“…In that light, an assumption of the selfish brain theory (according to this theory, the brain gives priority to its own energy needs; see [120]) will be shared in the present review, namely that the limbic system plays "a central role in the pathogenesis of diseases such as anorexia nervosa and obesity" (p. 143). In this framework, the limbic system's two core regions are defined as the amygdala and hippocampus.…”

Section: The Anterior Medial Temporal Lobes -Classical Rolementioning

confidence: 90%

The anterior medial temporal lobes: Their role in food intake and body weight regulation

Coppin

2016

Physiology & Behavior

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• The amygdala and hippocampus play a major role in food intake and weight regulation.• These functions are far less known to cognitive and affective scientists.• This review uniquely expands on the interactions between these two brain structures. a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o The anterior medial temporal lobes are one of the most studied parts of the brain. Classically, their two main structures -the amygdalae and the hippocampi -have been linked to key cognitive and affective functions, related in particular to learning and memory. Based on abundant evidence, we will argue for an alternative but complementary point of view: they may also play a major role in food intake and body weight regulation. First, an overview is given of early clinical evidence in this line of thought. Subsequently, empirical evidence is presented on how food intake, including in the extreme case of obesity, may relate to amygdalian and hippocampal functioning. The focus is on the amygdala's role in processing the relevance of food stimuli, cue-induced feeding, and stress-induced eating and on the hippocampus' involvement in the use of interoceptive signals of hunger and satiety, as well as memory and inhibitory processes related to food intake. Additionally, an elaboration takes place on possible reciprocal links between food intake, body weight, and amygdala and hippocampus functioning. Finally, issues that seemed particularly critical for future research in the field are discussed.

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Section: The Anterior Medial Temporal Lobes -Classical Rolementioning

confidence: 90%

The anterior medial temporal lobes: Their role in food intake and body weight regulation

Coppin

2016

Physiology & Behavior

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“…Cortisol increases promote short-term glucose availability (for a review, see Peters et al 2004) and may thereby function as energy mobilizations to support courtship efforts. Past research suggests that cortisol can facilitate the production of physical behaviours, enhanced attention/ concentration or enhanced memory consolidation in response to motivationally significant events (for a review, see Erickson et al 2003), and each of these possible effects of cortisol reactions to potential mates could be tested in future research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Androgen receptor gene sequence and basal cortisol concentrations predict men's hormonal responses to potential mates

2009

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Exposure to potential mates triggers rapid elevations of testosterone and glucocorticoid concentrations in males of many non-human species, and preliminary studies support similar effects in human males. The human studies have all reported large individual differences in these responses, however, and the present study tested whether specific biological variables may help explain these differences. Replicating past research, the present study found that men's salivary testosterone and cortisol concentrations increased after a brief conversation with a young woman, but did not change (or slightly decreased) after a conversation with a young man. In addition, smaller numbers of CAG repeats in men's androgen receptor gene, and lower baseline cortisol concentrations, each predicted larger testosterone responses to the interactions with women. The CAG repeat finding demonstrates that a specific genetic polymorphism predicts physiological responses to social interactions that may in turn have important downstream consequences on men's mating behaviour. The effects of cortisol are consistent with past demonstrations of glucocorticoid inhibition of testosterone production and show that such inhibition also affects testosterone responses to social stimuli. In sum, the present study both confirms men's hormonal reactions to potential mates and identifies novel biological variables that predict individual differences in these responses.

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“…The answer to these questions is fairly unknown. The Selfish Brain Theory [26] specifies KATP channels to be involved in sensing the energy supply in the brain so that the biphasic dopamine release may be explained by the dynamic of high and low affine KATP channels. Our neuronal model supports the plausibility of interacting KATP channels controlling dopamine and GABA outflow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mathematical modeling of the biphasic dopaminergic response to glucose

Chung¹,

Göbel²,

Peters³

et al. 2011

JBiSE

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In this work, we specify potential elements of the brain to sense and regulate the energy metabolism of the organism. Our numerical investigations base on neurochemical experiments demonstrating a biphasic association between brain glucose level and neuronal activity. The dynamics of high and low affine KATP channels are most likely to play a decisive role in neuronal activity. We develop a coupled Hodgkin-Huxley model describing the interactive behavior of inhibitory GABAergic and excitatory dopaminergic neurons projecting into the caudate nucleus. The novelty in our approach is that we include the synaptic coupling of GABAergic and dopaminergic neurons as well as the interaction of high and low affine KATP channels. Both are crucial mechanisms described by kinetic models. Simulations demonstrate that our new model is coherent with neurochemical in vitro experiments. Even experimental interventions with glibenclamide and glucosamine are reproduced by our new model. Our results show that the considered dynamics of high and low affine KATP channels may be a driving force in energy sensing and global regulation of the energy metabolism, which supports central aspects of the new Selfish Brain Theory. Moreover, our simulations suggest that firing frequencies and patterns of GABAergic and dopaminergic neurons are correlated to their neurochemical outflow.

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The selfish brain: competition for energy resources

Cited by 410 publications

References 254 publications

The anterior medial temporal lobes: Their role in food intake and body weight regulation

The anterior medial temporal lobes: Their role in food intake and body weight regulation

Androgen receptor gene sequence and basal cortisol concentrations predict men's hormonal responses to potential mates

Mathematical modeling of the biphasic dopaminergic response to glucose

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