2023-12-20 11:20:16
Home > News > Too smart to stay thin? written on December 20, 2023 at 12:20 p.m. Article published in newspaper nº 119
An important brain molecule in the evolution of the human brain, neuropeptide Ycould explain our inclination to obesity and addictions. Indeed, our food intake is not as “mechanical” as that of animals. We consume food with a certain hedonism. Conversely, animals regulate themselves more according to their physiological requirements, especially to meet an energy need. What explains this difference is not in the cerebral cortex, although it has traditionally received a lot of attention from scientists since gray matter is much larger in humans than in animals. No, this time the answer lies at its heart, in the most central and oldest part of the brain, which houses a set of essential neurons in the brain’s reward pathway: the nucleus accumbens.
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Scientists noticed that the concentration of neuropeptide Y was particularly high in the nucleus accumbens of humans compared to other primates. In high concentration in this brain structure supporting the mechanisms of pleasure, peptide encourages fat and sugar-seeking behavior. This quest for energetic foods would have allowed, at the beginning of the evolution of our species, better development of the cerebral cortex and the higher functions that it supports (language, memory, etc.). The other side of the coin being that, in our contemporary times where high-calorie foods abound, this “biological asset” promotes the development of obesity and addictive behaviors.
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