Biobehavioral Susceptibility for Obesity: Behavioral, Genetic and Neuroimaging Studies of Appetite

About this Seminar

We all inhabit an ‘obesogenic’ environment, yet not everyone develops obesity. This may be in part because individuals differ in early-appearing appetitive characteristics (e.g. food responsiveness and satiety responsiveness) that begin to influence body weight as early as infancy. A significant body of work has used standardized behavioral tests and validated questionnaires to demonstrate that appetitive characteristics track through development, predict adiposity, and show genetic influence. Recent investigations using neuroimaging techniques are beginning to explore the neural underpinnings of these characteristics, and how genetic and environmental factors influence appetite and underlying brain circuits. The biobehavioral susceptibility model of obesity development and maintenance that this evidence supports has implications for prevention and treatment of obesity throughout the life course.

Additional Details

This is a free event hosted by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute and co-sponsored by the institute's Center for Health Behaviors Research and the Addiction Recovery Research Center. The Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series, which runs annually from September to May, has featured leading biomedical researchers from throughout the country since the program began in 2012. The lectures are also open to all members of the Virginia Tech community including graduate students, undergraduates, faculty, and staff, as well as the public.

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