MIT discovers neurons that light up on seeing images of food

Researchers applied a mathematical method that allows them to discover neural populations that can’t be identified from traditional functional magnetic resonance imaging data

When we look at any of the foods such as pizza, ice cream, a specialised part of our visual cortex lights up, according to a new study from neuroscientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US.

This newly discovered population of food-responsive neurons is located in the ventral visual stream, alongside populations that respond specifically to faces, bodies, places, and words. The unexpected finding may reflect the special significance of food in human culture, the researchers say.

The findings, based on an analysis of a large public database of human brain responses to a set of 10,000 images, raise many additional questions about how and why this neural population develops. In future studies, the researchers hope to explore how people’s responses to certain foods might differ depending on their likes and dislikes, or their familiarity with certain types of food.

They also hope to study when and how this region becomes specialised during early childhood, and what other parts of the brain it communicates with. Another question is whether this food-selective population will be seen in other animals such as monkeys, who do not attach the cultural significance to food that humans do.

Image credit- MIT