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*Photo Contest* Healthy Eating Hangs in the Balance

Scientists tell the story of their research in ONE image, in the AXA Research Fund Photo Contest. Vote for your favorite!

In a nutshell, I study how the brain controls our eating behaviour.
– Esther Aarts

Healthy Eating Hangs in the Balance

Faced with a tempting, high-calorie treat, not everyone is equally well equipped to resist. Dr. Esther Aarts studies the brain’s motivational controls associated with our eating habits. Using functional MRI scans, she is testing whether patterns of activity in specific brain regions involved with motivation can predict if individuals will continue or stop eating when full, and whether they’ll choose cookies or fruit. If so, this could lead to tailored strategies for countering obesity and its serious, related health risks, like cancer and diabetes.

 

Vote!

Vote for this photo by "liking" it in the AXA RF Photo Contest's Facebook Gallery!

See all the creative entries in the research photo challenge.

Vote for your favorites by September 25, 2016!

 

Dr. Esther Aarts' Research Project:

Food, brain, and distractibility: Goal-directed versus habitual control of food intake

Find her on Twitter at @stherAarts.

 

Science is Beautiful!

Visit the Media Gallery to learn more about the AXA Research Fund photo contest.