Obesity prevents dopamine levels from lowering
Obesity reaks havick on the mesolimbic pathway in very consitent ways. If your obese, you’re already on the right side of the bell-shaped dopamine curve (There must be a balanced amount of dopamine in the mesolimbic pathway to prevent lethargy or irritablility). The hormone leptin normally reduces dopamine in the ventral tegmental area and moves you toward the left of the bell shaped curve (I want ice cream—I ate ice cream—yay, ice cream!). But when your neurons are leptin resisitant, as seen in chronic obesity, leptin doesn’t work; it can’t extinguish that dopamine signal, dopamine stays high, and you’re on your second, third, and force pint—hoping for an ever-dwindiling reward.
References
- Lustig, H., Robert. (2017). The Hacking of the American Mind The Science Behind the Corporate Takeover of Our Bodies and Brains Chapter 3. Desire and Dopamine, Pleasure and Opioids (Location 662). New York, NY: Penguin Random House.
Metadata
Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Biochemistry / Neurochemistry Status:☀️