BB - Brain and Behaviour: How the Brain Can Predict ED Behaviours
Remember this post that summarized some things I have blogged about on ED and brain changes or findings? Well, now we have a new addition to the list. This study, recently published, explored the relationship between the loss of a certain gene and similar 'ED-like' behaviours that follow . (For those interested in scientific terms, the loss of a gene is also known as a mutation). See this link for a summary of this study. The researchers looked at mice and an estrogen-related receptor alpha. or ESRRA. By the way, don't worry about the name of the gene - that's not as important as the results of the study. The loss of ESRRA caused the mice to have less motivation to find and consume high-fat foods, despite being hungry. In a previous study , researchers found that individuals with anorexia also show decreased levels of ESRRA in their brains. What does this tell us? Well, think about it. Low ESRRA caused mice to not have enough motivation or desire to seek out and ...