Neurodegeneration Focused Biorepositories: NCRAD, BioSEND, MJFF.

Background: Biorepositories play an integral role in the advancement of our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and improving human health outcomes. Research efforts are accelerated when access to high‐quality clinical specimens is made available from a large, diverse participant group. Indiana University is home to three important neurodegenerative disease‐focused biorepositories including the NIA‐funded National Centralized Repository for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (NCRAD), the NINDS‐funded Biospecimen Exchange for Neurological Disorders (BioSEND), and the Michael J.

The apéritif effect: Alcohol's effects on the brain's response to food aromas in women.

Objective: Consuming alcohol prior to a meal (an apéritif) increases food consumption. This greater food consumption may result from increased activity in brain regions that mediate reward and regulate feeding behavior. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we evaluated the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response to the food aromas of either roast beef or Italian meat sauce following pharmacokinetically controlled intravenous infusion of alcohol.

Ventral frontal satiation-mediated responses to food aromas in obese and normal-weight women.

Background: Sensory properties of foods promote and guide consumption in hunger states, whereas satiation should dampen the sensory activation of ingestive behaviors. Such activation may be disordered in obese individuals.

Objective: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we studied regional brain responses to food odor stimulation in the sated state in obese and normal-weight individuals targeting ventral frontal regions known to be involved in coding for stimulus reward value.

Correlation between Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Activation to Food Aromas and Cue-driven Eating: An fMRI Study.

Food aromas are signals associated with both food's availability and pleasure. Previous research from this laboratory has shown that food aromas under fasting conditions evoke robust activation of medial prefrontal brain regions thought to reflect reward value (Bragulat, et al. 2010).