We will also stream this seminar via Zoom.
For the link, please email: pennmindcore@sas.upenn.edu

Kyle Burger
UNC/Monell

Neuroimaging of Ingestive Behavior: Insights into Food Reinforcement & Branding

Preference for a sweet taste is innate and considered an evolutionary advantage, signaling an available energy source. Yet high sugar intake is a significant contributor to a number of diseases, including obesity. The brain’s response to rewarding aspects of food, such as sugar, has been compared to mechanisms underlying substance use disorders, sparking conflicting theories on the role of food reward in obesity. In this talk, Dr. Burger will present brain-based food-reward theories and highlight recent findings that reveal how eating behaviors influence altered brain responses to food stimuli. Supported by preclinical research and established decision-making models, he will specifically focus on fMRI studies that experimentally demonstrate the neural and behavioral mechanisms that underpin susceptibility toward food brands and advertisements that increase the risk for overeating and disease.

A pizza lunch will be served. Please bring your own beverage.