CRC/Transregio TRR 134, Project C01: Brain systems involved in food intake – a neuroimaging approach

Homeostatic and hedonic processes regulate food intake and have been targeted using a neuroimaging approach and revealed distinct brain networks supporting these processes. In the next funding period we will explore the possibilities of modulation of these networks with the long-term goal to develop novel therapies. In one work-package we will use transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation, which has been shown to modulate activity in (among others) hypothalamus, ventral striatum and frontal cortical areas in response to food-related stimulation in pilot studies, and assess its effects on food intake and neural processing of food rewards. In a second work-package, we will use fMRI-inspired EEG neurofeedback in order to modulate the activity in the ventral striatum, again with food intake and brain responses to food rewards as readouts.