Understanding The Neurology
What I learned through studying The Neurobiology of Everyday Life (Professor Peggy Mason, PhD, University of Chicago) is that my desire, my craving to eat that pie, involves a process of the Basal Ganglia. The Basal Ganglia is a structure of the central nervous system, a deep part of the brain with the core function to select which action to perform." - Shelley Johnson |
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The Neurobiology Of Food Addiction
Nearly all who try to diet can relate to the temptations and cravings for tasty food. Understanding the brain and the neurobiology of food cravings helps us understand this.
One day I was in the kitchen cleaning up and I was putting some food away in the refrigerator, and when I opened the refrigerator, I noticed a lemon meringue pie. I was surprised to see it and realized my husband must have bought it when we went grocery shopping. He loves lemon meringue pie. But me, not so much, so I saw it and ignored it, and went about cleaning the kitchen. As I went to throw something away, I opened the trash can and saw…. a box. A box that said “Banana Cream pie” And IMMEDIATELY I thought “Now THAT’S a horse of a different color!” Because I LOVE banana cream pie! My mouth started watering and I experienced a quick craving and desire for that pie!
In that moment I realized my craving for the pie was not stimulated through any sensory input. I had SEEN the pie and didn’t want it; I started craving it when I was looking in the trash can! My nose was in the trash can when my mouth started watering; so my craving was in no way stimulated by sight or smell! My appetite or desire for that pie was simply from the memory that I think banana cream pie is delicious!
What I learned through studying The Neurobiology of Everyday Life (Peggy Mason, University of Chicago) is that my desire, my craving to eat that pie, involves a process of the Basal Ganglia. The Basal Ganglia is a structure of the central nervous system, a deep part of the brain with the core function to select which action to perform.
Known as Action Selection, this circuitry processes the actions you select. It begins with a stimulus that stimulates you to take action. When you select an action, the circuitry dis-inhibits that action pathway to its outcome. Every pathway produces an outcome, an outcome that can be positive or negative for you. From that point on, you have a circuit that then remembers that this action produces this outcome for you.
Experiencing pleasure or satisfaction would be a positive outcome. And experiencing the opposite of pleasure or satisfaction is a negative outcome. And when you experience a positive outcome (such as I experienced pleasure from eating banana cream pie before) the neurotransmitter dopamine activates and strengthens this pathway. Despite popular understanding, dopamine does not increase the reward, or the pleasure of the outcome, rather it activates the pathway, the desire or the craving, by dis-inhibiting the pathway. (In layman’s terms that means, “There is less or no inhibition in selecting this action, so I want to do that again!”)
Understanding the neurotransmitter, Dopamine activates not the reward of the action, but rather the craving for it, the desire for it, is a significant component in helping us understand addictions such as food addiction.
Understanding that it is not from weakness, not from “giving into” temptations from sensory input, but that an increased appetite, the desire to eat more, or compulsively eat more, is in part due to the function of this basal ganglia and the neurotransmitter dopamine involved in the action pathways of this circuit. Understanding this helps us begin the management of food addiction.
One day I was in the kitchen cleaning up and I was putting some food away in the refrigerator, and when I opened the refrigerator, I noticed a lemon meringue pie. I was surprised to see it and realized my husband must have bought it when we went grocery shopping. He loves lemon meringue pie. But me, not so much, so I saw it and ignored it, and went about cleaning the kitchen. As I went to throw something away, I opened the trash can and saw…. a box. A box that said “Banana Cream pie” And IMMEDIATELY I thought “Now THAT’S a horse of a different color!” Because I LOVE banana cream pie! My mouth started watering and I experienced a quick craving and desire for that pie!
In that moment I realized my craving for the pie was not stimulated through any sensory input. I had SEEN the pie and didn’t want it; I started craving it when I was looking in the trash can! My nose was in the trash can when my mouth started watering; so my craving was in no way stimulated by sight or smell! My appetite or desire for that pie was simply from the memory that I think banana cream pie is delicious!
What I learned through studying The Neurobiology of Everyday Life (Peggy Mason, University of Chicago) is that my desire, my craving to eat that pie, involves a process of the Basal Ganglia. The Basal Ganglia is a structure of the central nervous system, a deep part of the brain with the core function to select which action to perform.
Known as Action Selection, this circuitry processes the actions you select. It begins with a stimulus that stimulates you to take action. When you select an action, the circuitry dis-inhibits that action pathway to its outcome. Every pathway produces an outcome, an outcome that can be positive or negative for you. From that point on, you have a circuit that then remembers that this action produces this outcome for you.
Experiencing pleasure or satisfaction would be a positive outcome. And experiencing the opposite of pleasure or satisfaction is a negative outcome. And when you experience a positive outcome (such as I experienced pleasure from eating banana cream pie before) the neurotransmitter dopamine activates and strengthens this pathway. Despite popular understanding, dopamine does not increase the reward, or the pleasure of the outcome, rather it activates the pathway, the desire or the craving, by dis-inhibiting the pathway. (In layman’s terms that means, “There is less or no inhibition in selecting this action, so I want to do that again!”)
Understanding the neurotransmitter, Dopamine activates not the reward of the action, but rather the craving for it, the desire for it, is a significant component in helping us understand addictions such as food addiction.
Understanding that it is not from weakness, not from “giving into” temptations from sensory input, but that an increased appetite, the desire to eat more, or compulsively eat more, is in part due to the function of this basal ganglia and the neurotransmitter dopamine involved in the action pathways of this circuit. Understanding this helps us begin the management of food addiction.