Several COPT fellows attended SSIB 2015, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior in Denver, Colorado from July 7 – July 11, 2015. Each student gave us a recap and reflection on her experience. We will be featuring one student per post as part of this series.
Laural K. English, MSc
Laural English presenting at SSIB 2015
Q: What was the title of your presentation?
A: Children’s neural response to food images that vary in portion size.
Q:What were the main points of your presentation?
A: Previous fMRI studies have investigated the response to food energy content but not food portion size. We tested the brain response to portion size in children using fMRI. Findings from our study link large food portions (relative to small) with greater bilateral engagement of the Inferior Frontal Gyrus, a brain region involved in inhibitory control. Portion size may influence dietary decisions by engaging this brain region, which would have implications for moderating energy intake.
Q: What is something you learned while at SSIB?
A: Dr. Susan Carnell gave one of my favorite talks (from several) that covered a range of research on the influences of food choice and neural correlates. Overall, I enjoyed the focus on neurocognitive profiling of eating behavior that highlighted the importance of inhibitory control, impulsivity and decision-making in response to various food cues.
Q: How do you hope your general program of research will contribute to the field of ingestive behavior?
A: I hope that my research encourages others to examine the influence of external food cues, such as portion size, in children using fMRI. I look forward to learning about eating behavior from unique perspectives with innovative and technologically advanced methods.
Tags: SSIB; Conference