Project description
Innovative theories to address obesity and overweight
While hunger is usually associated with the feeling of an empty stomach, satiety is related to a cascade of physiological, neural and metabolic mechanisms that impede further eating. Subconscious signals from the gut regulate the decision-making process in the brain that determines feeding. However, scientific knowledge on related brain-gut mechanisms is insufficient, limiting the development of efficient therapies and public policies addressing obesity and overweight. The EU-funded BRAINSTOM project will study how the brain’s signatures of hunger and satiety are associated with the movements and contractions of the stomach. The project will create new theories of brain-body interactions that will help develop innovative psychological and pharmacological treatments for obesity and overweight.
Objective
Hunger, satiety and feeding are complex phenomena exerting a profound influence on health and wellbeing. Hunger, or the mental urge to eat, is often associated with the feeling of an empty stomach. Satiety refers to a cascade of physiological, neural and metabolic mechanisms that inhibit further eating. Importantly, the decision making process in the brain that determines what, when and how much we eat is modulated by subconscious signals from the gut that can activate the brain’s dopaminergic system and reinforce dietary habits, explaining why so many people struggle to make healthy food choices and why the prevalence of obesity in developed countries is so high. Scientific knowledge on the brain-gut mechanisms behind hunger and satiety is incomplete, limiting our ability to develop efficient therapies and public policies targeting obesity and overweight. In BRAINSTOM, I have designed an innovative research program to study how the brain’s signatures of hunger and satiety are linked to the movements and contractions of the stomach, combining my previous expertise in the simultaneous recording of the stomach and functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans with research methods from nutrition and metabolism and recent advances in positron emission tomography of the dopaminergic system. The three key hypotheses of my research proposal are that i) hunger feelings are associated with measurable changes in movements and contractions of the stomach ii) as food transits through the stomach, the brain releases dopamine and satiety feelings arise iii) the electrical activity of the stomach interacts with cortical, subcortical and neuromodulatory brain structures, influencing brain activity, interoception and cognitive functions beyond feeding. These findings will inform novel theories of brain-body interactions and will lead to the development of novel psychological and pharmacological interventions to reduce obesity and overweight.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
14558 Nuthetal
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.