THE OBESE BRAIN: THE NEUROSCIENCE BEHIND WEIGHT GAIN

Dr David John Hume, neuroscientist

The first lecture of this course reviews the determinants of obesity as outlined in the scientific literature and examines just how the human brain is implicated in weight gain. Because a wide range of factors might impair the brain’s body weight control centres, the lecture looks at influences which occur in utero and during early childhood, right through to those encountered in adulthood. The second lecture explores the neurobiological overlaps of obesity and addiction to see what neuroimaging reveals about the ‘obese brain’, and then considers how neuroscience might guide physicians and scientists to develop novel ways to achieve weight loss and the maintenance of an optimal, healthy body weight.

LECTURE TITLES

1. Brain-body connections

2. Optimising obesity interventions