Topic Summaries

Neural and hormonal mechanisms in eating behaviour

A-Level > Psychology > AQA > A-Level Psychology Topic Summaries > Eating behaviour > Neural and hormonal mechanisms in eating behaviour
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Addiction

  • Hypothalamus: eating behaviour is regulated by the brain, particularly the hypothalamus, which monitors blood glucose levels and hormonal signals related to hunger and satiety.
    • Lateral hypothalamus (LH): “hunger centre” stimulates eating when glucose levels drop.
    • Ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH): “satiety centre” signals to stop eating.
    • 👥 Hetherington and Ranson (1942) found that lesions to the VMH in rats led to continuous overeating and obesity, while damage to the LH caused anorexia. This suggests that different regions of the hypothalamus work in balance to regulate food intake.
    • However, 👥 Gold (1973) argued that eating behaviour cannot be explained by a simple dual-centre model, as other brain regions also play a role, making the process more complex than originally thought.
  • Hormones:
    • Ghrelin: released from the stomach when it is empty, stimulates hunger by signalling the hypothalamus; ghrelin levels rise before meals and fall afterwards.
    • Leptin: produced by fat cells, suppresses appetite by signalling satiety. Deficiencies in leptin have been linked to obesity, and 👥 Licinio et al. (2004) reported that individuals with rare mutations in the leptin gene could be successfully treated with leptin therapy, reducing overeating, demonstrating the strong biological regulation of eating.
      • Hormonal and neural explanations are somewhat reductionist since they neglect psychological and cultural influences on eating, such as stress or social norms, suggesting eating behaviour is best understood as an interaction between biology and environment

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