Hunger can be seen in the brain

PhD candidate Paul Smeets discovered that fullness can be seen in the brain using an MRI scanner.

He observed that activity in the hypothalamus drops in people who drink sugar water, whereas this does not happen if the test subjects ingested an artificial sweetener and calories. This activity is also lower in people in whom the sugar water is injected directly into the bloodstream, so that signals from the mouth and stomach do not reach the brain. The study provides insights into how the brain controls food intake, which can be helpful in preventing and treating overweight.

Paul Smeets received his PhD from Utrecht University on September 7. His thesis is titled 'Functional MRI of food-induced brain responses'.