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Written By: Admin | Updated : June 11, 2013 4:13 PM IST
Washington, June 11 (ANI): A new research has found a surprising connection between brain circuits involved in compulsive behaviour and obesity. The University of Iowa-led researchers bred mice missing a gene known to cause obesity, and suspected to also be involved in compulsive behaviour, with a genetic mouse model of compulsive grooming. The unexpected result was offspring that were neither compulsive groomers nor obese.
The study suggests that the brain circuits that control obsessive-compulsive behaviour are intertwined with circuits that control food intake and body weight. The findings have implications for treating compulsive behaviour, which is associated with many forms of psychiatric disease, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), Tourette syndrome, and eating disorders.
The study is published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
What is obesity?
Obesity is a condition where a person s Body Mass Index or BMI (calculated by dividing height by weight) is more than 30. It is becoming a global epidemic not only in developed nations but also in developing nations like India. Obesity is usually linked to a host of disorders like diabetes, heart diseases, hypertension and strokes. Easy availability of sugars and fats, messing with our body clocks and an increased sedentary lifestyle are responsible for obesity. Being overweight and obesity are the fifth leading risk for global deaths with at least 2.8 million adults dying each year due to them. Read more...
