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Hunger Is All In Your Head

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - It is like something out of a horror movie. Brain cells eating themselves! It sounds quite dramatic but in mice, at least, it appears to happen on a regular basis…especially when they are hungry.

According to a report in the journal The Cell, whenever mice were food deprived, specific nerve cells in a region of the brain which helps control hunger literally began breaking down internal components of their own brains. This breakdown caused a release of chemicals that signaled hunger. When the researchers prevented the brain cells from eating themselves and therefore from releasing this chemical, the mice were less hungry – and actually lost weight.

According to the scientists, the regulation of food intake and energy balance involves a complex system of communication between our digestive track, various organs that respond to nutrient levels in the blood, as well as our brain.

Reported By Dr. Brian McDonough, KYW Newsradio Medical Editor

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