Your Brain on Snacks: Stimulation Affects What You Crave and Eat

Do you like snacking? It turns out that your brain function may have something to do with it. Scientists have found that a brain area involved in "executive function" can affect cravings for and consumption of calorie-sense food snacks.

In order to examine which brain areas are responsible for food cravings, the researchers examined 21 healthy young women who were chosen because they reported strong and frequent cravings for chocolate and potato chips. Cravings for these calorie-dense food snacks are often implicated in the development of obesity.

The researchers showed the women pictures of chocolate and potato chips in order to stimulate cravings. Then, the scientists applied a type of magnetic stimulation, known as continuous theta-burst stimulation, in order to decrease activity in a region of the brain known as the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC).

After this stimulation, the women reported having stronger food cravings, specifically for milk chocolate and potato chips. During a subsequent "taste test," they consumed more of these foods rather than the alternative, less-appetitive foods-dark chocolate and soda crackers. Not only that, but the researchers found that the stimulation to weaken DLPFC activity was also associated with lower performance on a test of inhibitory control strength.

"These findings shed light on the role of the DLPFC in food cravings (specifically reward anticipations), the consumption of appealing high caloric foods, and the relation between self-control and food consumption," write the researchers in a news release.

The findings reveal a bit more about how DLPFC can play a role in diet. Not only that, but the research may help scientists develop potential treatments in order to curb obesity in the future. Enhancing or preserving DLPFC function may just help to prevent obesity and related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes.

The findings are published in Psychosomatic Medicine: Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine.