Internal Reward in Anorexic Brain | 57sec snip from Huberman Lab

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Healthy Eating & Eating Disorders - Anorexia, Bulimia, Binging

Huberman Lab

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Internal Reward in Anorexic Brain

Anorexic individuals experience a shift in their brain that rewards them internally for avoiding certain foods and approaching others. This shift is not based on deprivation or self-punishment, but rather on the development of habits that lead to a sense of reward, potentially through the release of dopamine. Their brain circuitry becomes skewed towards avoiding certain foods, and they feel better by doing so, even more than if they were eating in a healthy and weight-supporting manner.

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In this episode, I discuss what drives hunger and satiety, and the role our brain, stomach, fat and hormones play in regulating hunger and turning off the desire to eat more. I also address how protein is assimilated better early in the day than it is later in the day, and why those using intermittent fasting might want to shift their feeding window to earlier in the day.

Then I delve into the topic of disorders of eating: Anorexia Nervosa, where people starve themselves and Bulimia Nervosa where people binge and purge their food. I discuss some common myths about Anorexia such as the role of media images increasing the rates of anorexia and the myth of the "perfectionist" anorexic. I also review the symptoms, and the brain and chemical systems disrupted in this condition. I explain how anorexics become hyperaware of the fat content of foods and develop reflexive habits of fat-hyperawareness. Then I discuss the most effective treatments ranging from family-based models to those that target the habitual nature of low-fat/calorie food choices. I also discuss new more experimental clinical trials on MDMA, Psilocybin and Ibogaine for Anorexia, and both their promise and risks

I review the latest work on binge eating disorder and brain stimulation, drug treatments and thyroid disruption in Bulimia and why the treatments for Bulimia are so similar to those for ADHD. Finally, I discuss "cheat days," body dysmorphia and the growing list of novel forms of eating disorders start to finish. As always, science and science-based tools are discussed.

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.