The Selfish Brain: Stress and Eating Behavior

Peters, Achim; Kubera, Britta; Hubold, Christian; Langemann, Dirk

doi:10.3389/fnins.2011.00074

Cited by 57 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Based on this principle, stress-induced eating is a potentially dysfunctional form of self-medication (Dallman et al, 2005). Consistent with this proposition, Peters, Kubera, Hubold, and Langemann (2011) suggested that eating high-calories foods under stress re-establishes the brain energy's homeostasis, thereby reducing the negative mood associated with the stress response.…”

Section: Limits Of the Aversive State Reduction Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 50%

Is comfort food really comforting? Mechanisms underlying stress-induced eating

Pool

Delplanque

Coppin

et al. 2015

Food Research International

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Overeating behaviors are nowadays a worldwide issue, and cumulative evidence shows that stress induces excessive pursuit of highly palatable food. However, the role of stress in this phenomenon remains poorly understood. The classic interpretation is that excessive eating is an attempt to reduce the aversive feeling associated with the stress response through the hedonic properties of highly palatable food. In this review, we propose an alternative hypothesis based on theoretical models developed in the framework of reward processing. We review recent literature on animal and human studies suggesting that stress reduces hedonic pleasure during highly palatable food consumption and increases the control that the habitual and Pavlovian systems exert on food-seeking behaviors over the control exerted by the goal-directed system. From this literature, we propose that (a) stress amplifies automatic attentional orienting toward stimuli associated with palatable food (i.e., Pavlovian stimuli), rendering them more likely to be perceived; and (b) once perceived, these stimuli trigger stress-amplified motivational bursts and the control that the habitual system exerts on food-seeking behaviors. We hypothesize that stress-induced eating is driven by habits and Pavlovian motivational bursts, independent of hedonic pleasure or even of the goal of reducing the stress-related aversive state. Thus, if a stressed person encounters an environmental stimulus associated with highly palatable food, this may trigger excessive pursuit of highly palatable food, whether or not the food elicits liking during its consumption.

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Section: Limits Of the Aversive State Reduction Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 50%

Is comfort food really comforting? Mechanisms underlying stress-induced eating

Pool

Delplanque

Coppin

et al. 2015

Food Research International

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“…As previously mentioned, the selfish brain theory (e.g., [121]) assumes that the brain (approximately 2% of the body's mass) gives priority to its energy needs (approximately 50% of the total body glucose utilization is related to its metabolism). The hippocampus/amygdala system is key in this process -it is assumed to be involved in energy homeostasis and metabolic processes (i.e., glucose fluxes; [162]).…”

Section: Interactions Between the Amygdala And The Hippocampusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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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“…Stress and eating behavior are closely related [1]. We previously proposed a cerebral supply chain model to study the interactions between central and peripheral energy metabolism [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rise in Plasma Lactate Concentrations with Psychosocial Stress: A Possible Sign of Cerebral Energy Demand

Kubera¹,

Hubold²,

Otte³

et al. 2012

Obes Facts

Self Cite

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Objective: It is known that exogenous lactate given as an i.v. energy infusion is able to counteract a neuroglycopenic state that developed during psychosocial stress. It is unknown, however, whether the brain under stressful conditions can induce a rise in plasma lactate to satisfy its increased needs during stress. Since lactate is i) an alternative cerebral energy substrate to glucose and ii) its plasmatic concentration is influenced by the sympathetic nervous system, the present study aimed at investigating whether plasma lactate concentrations increase with psychosocial stress in humans. Methods: 30 healthy young men participated in two sessions (stress induced by the Trier Social Stress Test and a non-stress control session). Blood samples were frequently taken to assess plasma lactate concentrations and stress hormone profiles. Results: Plasma lactate increased 47% during psychosocial stress (from 0.9 ± 0.05 to 1.4 ± 0.1 mmol/l; interaction time × stress intervention: F = 19.7, p < 0.001). This increase in lactate concentrations during stress was associated with an increase in epinephrine (R² = 0.221, p = 0.02) and ACTH concentrations (R² = 0.460, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Plasma lactate concentrations increase during acute psychosocial stress in humans. This finding suggests the existence of a demand mechanism that functions to allocate an additional source of energy from the body towards the brain, which we refer to as ‘cerebral lactate demand’.

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The Selfish Brain: Stress and Eating Behavior

Cited by 57 publications

References 44 publications

Is comfort food really comforting? Mechanisms underlying stress-induced eating

Is comfort food really comforting? Mechanisms underlying stress-induced eating

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

Rise in Plasma Lactate Concentrations with Psychosocial Stress: A Possible Sign of Cerebral Energy Demand

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