Neurophysiology of nutrient rewards (360G-Wellcome-206207_Z_17_Z)

Optimal human food intake goes beyond reactive consumption and involves sophisticated behaviours that fine-tune food acquisition to our specific needs. Every day, we form decisions and consumption-plans to pursue our favourite foods, and model food choices from our social partners. This proposal develops a novel translational approach to study the neural mechanisms for realistic food-intake behaviours involving planning, decision-making, and social learning. We perform  single-neuron recordings in amygdala, hypothalamus, and orbitofrontal cortex during feeding behaviour for clinically relevant nutrients, including fats and sugars. Separate research aims focus on two aspects of food intake: (1) planning and decision-making for specific nutrient rewards; (2) social influences on food choice.  Neuroimaging with identical foods and behaviours extends single-cell data to brain networks, functional connectivity, individual differences, and real-life eating phenotypes. We advance the field by identifying explicit neuronal signals that underlie formation and pursuit of nutrient consumption-plans; by formalizing behavioural conditions for social nutrient-reward learning; and by identifying neuronal signals that underlie such learning and related social influences on food choice. By studying sophisticated, typical food intake in single neurons, neural systems, and behaviour, we aim to uncover basic neurophysiological mechanisms and lay foundations for clinical studies in obesity.