Regulatory Behavior: Emotions (Essay Sample)

Regulatory Behavior - Emotions
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Regulatory Behavior - Emotions
Explain the role of the nervous system in eating behavior regulation
Eating behavior is affected by the integration of the different signals into the hedonic systems and the homeostatic systems. The homeostatic system controls the body’s energy levels and it is controlled by the brain and the hypothalamus; the hypothalamus nuclei and brain stem are important areas that regulate energy homoeostasis (Kopelman, and Stock, 2005). Gut hormones, the gastrointestinal tract hormones, act on the hypothalamus and brain stem regions of eating behavior control. The process provides a means through which the gut can signal the energy status to the central nervous system (CNS). The Arcuate nucleus (ARC) acts as the site of integration of a number of blood-borne and neurological signals.
Investigators argue that the ARC is bound to circulating factors populations influence that modify the activity; one that is pro-opio-melanocortin (POMC) and the other is co-expresses and cocaine-and amphetamine related transcript (CART) which inhibit food intake. The other neuron population increases food consumption and affects eating behavior by co-expressing agouti-related protein and neuropeptide Y (NPY) (Mitchell, 2011). The population regulates food intake and hence influence eating behavior. There are extensive reciprocal connections between the brain stem and the hypothalamus especially in the tractus solitaries nucleus.
Ghrelin is able to regulate homeostasis by modifying the electrical movement of neurons in the CNS. Like most of the satiety hormones, ghrelin which is a peptide hormone can easily cross the blood-brain barrier devoid of a transport mechanism.The brain’s stem is well placed to get signals arising from the blood because of its proximity with the regions that have incomplete blood– brain barrier like the area postrema. The brain stem also receives vagal afferent neurons from the intestinal tract to enable it act as region of integration of neuronal and endocrine signals. The Ghrelin, synthesized by the stomach, stimulates feeding by inducing adiposity and Central Nervous System injection of anti-ghrelin antibodies that inhibits normal feeding after fasting. According to the study by Mitchell (2011), the levels of ghrelin are high in a fasting state and drop after eating; the research shows that ghrelin increase food intake in a buffet meal by 28%.
Describe the effect of fear, aggression, and anxiety on eating behavior
The study by Desmet and Schifferstein (2008), reports that the influence of emotions on the eating behavior can be explained in two ways; emotion-regulating eating versus emotion-congruent eating. Emotion-regulating eating, also called ‘mood control eating,’ shows that a person eats to reduce the effect of an unpleasant feeling. Emotion-congruent eating implies that a positive emotion increase the motivation and pleasure of eating.
Fear
The study by Dr. Mozzachiodi (2013), researched the effects of fear on eating behavior using the marine snail because it has nerve cells functions that are alike to the one in the human brain. The study also states that when the human brain experience feelings of fear, the brain area that affects eating behavior reduces its function for 24 hours. The brain is thought to do away with other functions like eating to protect its structure and therefore display a reduction in eating behavior.
In addition persons with Anorexia are very sensitive about the fat level and food intake. The fear is accompanied by need to control his/her emotions which lead to obsessive dieting resulting into starvation to control weight, feelings and actions about their emotions (Mitchell, 2011). Anorexics deprive their selves of life pleasures and gifts and therefore starvation and reduction in eating behavior for the sake of their body image. Therefore in the case of anorexics, fear for their body image leads to starvation.
Aggression
Emotions are grouped base on valence, either positive or negative, intensity, and arousal. Emotions differing in valence, intensity, and arousal cause different influences on eating behavior (Macht, 2008). Anger is an emotional state with negative valence, specific cognitive, high arousal and behavioral predispositions. Anger acts as a eating trigger, it increases the motivation to eat (increased eating behavior) in both men and women equally. Adaptive strategies to react to negative emotions can reduce emotional eating and can thus be adopted as healthy distraction against emotional eating, these distractions include exercise.
Anxiety
Anxiety can be defined as marked negative affect and perceived symptoms of tension which causes a person to anticipate misfortune or future danger. Anxiety causes too much secretion of acids in the stomach to cause low-grade nausea resulting into a feeling of stomach fullness (reduction ofeating behavior). In addition difficulty in swallowing and the feeling of fullness experienced in anxiety also suppresses the eating behavior (Blackman, and Kvaska, 2011). Anxiety causes one to become "over reactive" hence cause overstimulation of thirst, movement, and sex. Anxiety can equally kill eating behavior or turn an individual into a voracious eater. Anxiety can be related to depression in that agitation and restlessness might be as a result of anxiety accompanying the depression.
In pregnancy and breast feeding, eating problems and anxiety are spontaneously modified. Family conditions play a great role in affecting the eating behavior. For example, if tension and conflict already exist then, pregnancy and childbirth would increase depression and anxiety and consequently disturb eating behavior (Desmet, and Schifferstein, 2008). In cases where anxiety alone is affecting eating behavior, one should calm the reactivity of the nervous system, the mind, and modify any situation causing tension. Relaxation techniques include calm music and breathing techniques.
Explain the functions of the hormones involved & how they relate to the behavior
Hormones act as the body’s emergency responders and are ready to be released or suppressed to maintain homeostasis. The functions of digestion and nutrients storage involve the interaction of numerous hormones. Peripheral signals generated by the peripheral systems, the fat tissues, liver, gut, and in response to food intake or body energy status are relayed to the Central nervous system. The peripheral signals are: tonic and episodic. Episodic signals control short term eating behavior control (from meal to meal) while the tonic controls eating behavior over the long-term (days to weeks). The episodic signals are activated by the cells glucose level. Before a meal, ghrelin, the hunger hormone is secreted to the bloodstream by the specialized gastrointestinal system cells as a response to the decreased cellular level (Blackman, and Kvaska, 2011). The hormone activates the orexigenic neurons, the body’s hunger centre, and therefore causes a feeling of hunger. During a meal, the consumed food travels to the gastrointestinal tract which senses it’s nutrition level and volume using the mechanical and chemosensory systems. Different foods cause release of different signals and hormones in the gastrointestinal tract. For example, GLP-1 and PYY are released after the ingestion of fats and carbohydrates. The signal molecules operate through the CNS to suppress the eating behavior by controlling appetite.
The tonic signals are affected by the amount of fat stored in the body. The main tonic signal is Leptin generated in the fat tissue and travels to the hypothalamus (Mitchell, 2011). The most important hormones to eating behavior regulation are leptin and Ghrelin. Leptin, secreted by fat cells, acts as an eating behavior suppressant while Ghrelin, secreted in the stomach, acts as an eating behavior stimulator.
The ghrelin hormone and the person’s attitude towards food affects his or her eating behavior. For example, if one says, "I am so hungry that my tummy is rumbling," after this the person’s body would be flooded with ghrelin which communicates with the brain to trigger the release of neuropeptide Y by the hypothalamus to stimulate hunger. The hypothalamus also checks the amount of sugars and lipids in the blood, the levels fall off after a long time without eating and the hormone neuropeptide Y is released to drive one to eat (Desmet, and Schifferstein, 2008). The peptide PYY3-36 inhibits the production neuropeptide Y (NPY) producing neurons and is released from the intestinal endocrine cells thus helps signal increase in eating behavior and damping hunger.
Energy balance is regulated by the hypothalamus, the neural structure nuclei, using peripherally-generated signals through varied neuropeptides. These neuropeptides are connected to the serotonergic system that controls the food consumption behavior (Mitchell, 2011). Orexin and Serotonin regulate feeding; Orexin affects the release of Serotonin from the hypothalamus and the serotonin affects eating behavior hence suppresses eating behavior.
In the gut, the Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) hormone stimulates food consumption (boosts eating behavior) and also stimulates the secretion of insulin. Medication for diabetes is undertaken by intake of the modified form of GLP-1, exenatide (Byetta); it also causes loss of weight. The hormones peptide and oxyntomodulin are ejected following food intake and are believed to signal the brain that the stomach is full. These hormones are released by normal person and signify possible direction for the development of anti-obesity agents.
Describe the effects of regulatory impairment on eating behavior
Impairment ofeating behavior regulation results into emotion...