Brain Functions When Ordering Pizza

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Brain Functions When Ordering Pizza

Tastes and smells of food are programmed in the brain, each presenting a different level of reward. Areas of the insula, anterior cingulated cortex, anteromedial temporal lobe, the amygdale and the orbitofrontal cortex respond in anticipation of rewards in form of delicious food (Banich & Rebecca 424). The amygdala, found in the brain as part of the limbic system, is the center of reward circuits. This part is responsible for the emotions such as pleasure and fear because of stimuli. Food is one of the many stimuli, and may cause pleasant or unpleasant responses. When the brain thinks of good food like pizza, it undergoes a number of processes.

My intention to order pizza will be driven by hunger and a need to be satiated. My brain will then start thinking of the different kinds of foods that can satisfy not only my hunger but my craving for good food as well. The amygdala is critical for enhanced memory of both good and bad stimuli (Frackowiak 386). In this respect, I will recall all the foods that give me a pleasant taste, and choose one from them. The amygdale will send messages to the hypothalamus and in turn, the sympathetic nervous system will be activated. The impulse then gets to the thalamic reticular nucleus, and then to the ventral tegmental area, the locus coeruleus and the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, resulting in the release of three hormones namely, dopamine, norepineriphrine and epinephrine.

The images I form in my mind of the pizza cause me to anticipate eating it. Anticipation of delicious food is sensed in the dopaminergic midbrain, the ventral striatum, and the amygdala. These regions respond strongly in eagerness to taste good food, but not necessarily to the actual tasting of the food. Pizza will meet more of my individual taste and preference rather than rewarding my overall health status. This means that it is sensory-specific. As I consume more and more of pizza, then the reward satisfaction I get from each slice of pizza progressively decreases (Frackowiak 453). My brain will show different reactions in relation to the food I want to take in. For healthy foods, which generally do not have a good taste, the response will be generated by the insular cortex. On the other hand, for foods consumed entirely for their good taste, responses will come from the orbitofrontal cortex.

The orbitofrontal cortex, involved in sensory assimilation, helps in making decisions based on the foreseen rewards (Goetz 39). The value of reward and expected pleasant taste of food are signaled in this cortex. The orbitofrontal cortex serves to monitor, learn and help the mind to memorize the rewards from different foods (Zald & Scott 251). Based on my energy levels, the orbitofrontal context will sense and communicate what kind of food I need. If my energy is high, then I will desire low-energy foods. Conversely, if my energy levels are low, I will be driven to eat foods high in energy or fat content, in this case, pizza. If my energy is at a balanced level, then I will not desire to eat anything.

The thought of pizza will activate my memory and salivary glands in preparation for the actual eating. A message will be sent to the brain; parasympathetic stimulation of the brain results in production of saliva by the salivary gland. As a result, I will be led to take actions necessary in order to have the pizza. Memories of good taste in the synapses of the lateral nuclei heighten my urge to eat the food. All these sequences appear long and complex, and we hardly ever notice that they take place. The reactions vary in intensity depending on the status of the individual. The greater the level of hunger, the faster these processes will occur.

Works Cited

Banich, Marie & Rebecca Compton. Cognitive Neuroscience. Kentucky: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.

Frackowiak, Richard. Human Brain Function. California, CA: Academic Press, 2004. Print.

Goetz, Christopher. Textbook of Clinical Neurology, Volume 355. Amsterdam: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2007. Print.

Zald, David & Scott Rauch. The Orbitofrontal Cortex. New York, NY: OxfordUniversity Press. 2006. Print.