Robert, a 25 year old Hispanic male, is 230 lbs overweight. Because of health reasons, Robert has tried exercising and dieting but the most amount of weight he’s lost is 5-10 lbs. Even when he’s lost weight, he always gains it back and some more. Robert lives at home with supportive parents who have tried to help him loose weight throughout his entire life, as this has been an issue for Robert since childhood. Robert feels frustrated and strongly believes that there must be something wrong with his body because no one else in his family is overweight. Robert claims he’s always hungry and whenever he has tried fasting, he feels very anxious and ends up eating more.
Assuming the role of a Pure researcher, which hormone(s), neurotransmitter(s), and brain part(s) would you be interested in researching to help Robert figure out if, in fact, something is wrong with his body? Please answer this question in 125-175 words. Please be sure to explain the role of each hormone, neurotransmitter, and brain part in Robert’s insatiable hunger and obesity.
Additionally, please comment on someone else’s post. Your comment should compare their findings to yours. If different, please make an effort to explain how your hormone(s), neurotransmitter(s) and brain part(s) of choice would compliment their claims. If they’re wrong, please be sure to point it out to them.
To get full credit, you must cite the page of our textbook where you found the information. You may use the following fictitious example, “per Pinel and Barnes (2017), the hippocampus has been known to be involved in feelings of hunger. The hippocampus works in connection to the amygdala, which is known to secrete high levels of GABA (p.452). GABA has been known to be present whenever the brain is aroused. This arousal helps explain the hunger sensation, as GABA depletes the neurons of the oxygen, thereby leaving wanting more (p. 467). Additionally, Follicular Stimulating Hormone (FSH) is found at high levels in individuals who are hungry. Per a study by Lopez and Johnson (2012) rats who were deprived of food for 36 hours had elevated levels of FSH (p. 489) in comparison to rats that were not deprived of food. Robert’s insatiable hunger may be neurologically explained as a byproduct of an impaired hippocampus, high levels of GABA and FSH.”
