The Neuroscience of Body Image. Overview How does the brain process body image? Is there a...

The Neuroscience of Body Image


• Overview• How does the brain process body image?• Is there a difference between the sexes?• Prevalence of eating disorders• Brain functioning in eating disorders• Is there a difference between the sexes?• Clinical experience with body image


• Different ideal shapes for boys & girls• Men more interested in shape than weight• Women more likely to self describe as fat, diet more• Women more likely to self assess as overweight, men as

underweight compared to objective standards• Men see underweight as being bad, women as good.• In one study, 4% women wanted to become bigger compared

to 47% of women wanting to slim down.• Among 18 yr old boys, equal numbers want to be larger and

smaller• Dieting normal in girls but not in boys


• Univ. of London study- 111 boys and 124 girls – ages 16-18, in school– mean body wgt of girls 57 kgs (125 lbs)– mean body wgt of boys 69 kgs (152 lbs)

• EAT, self esteem, reason for exercise, contour drawing surveys completed.

• Furnham et al, J Psychol 2002


• 80% of girls AND boys dissatisfied with their weight.

• However, nearly as many boys wished to be heavier (36%) as thinner (43%)

• Only 9 girls wished to be heavier; 75% chose an ideal figure thinner than theirs

• Girls/women exercise to lose weight, boys/men not necessarily.


Downing et al, Science 2001


Devue et al, Brain Research, 2007


• Face recognition vs body recognition• Right frontal cortex, insula and cingulate gyrus

main regions in self recognition.• Posterior sensory areas versus more anterior

(evolved, neocortex) association areas.


Anorexic patients fMRI ; Neuropsychol 2008


• Self versus other images• 10 AN women, 10 normal controls.• Difference: no activation of the insula and the

attentional areas of brain when viewing self• Prior study showed activation of amygdala in AN

patients• Role of the amygdala and insular cortex• AN suppress emotional & perceptual processing


• 13 men and 13 women• left amygdala activated only in women• left prefrontal cortex and hippocampus activated only in men• Shirao et al, 2005

The wandering vagus nerve

The Neuroscience of Body Image• 1998 metanalysis of 222 studies over 50 years Feingold &

Mazella, 1998• Pre-1970, 70s, 80s, 90s• Ages 12-14, 14-16, 16-18, 18-23, 23-35, >35• N= 37,627• Results:

– body satisfaction: men vs women– Men vs women, self assesment on looks

• “The analysis shows dramatic increases in the numbers of women among individuals who have poor body image. Moreover, these

trends were found across multiple conceptualizations of body image, including self-judgments of physical attractiveness.”


• 54 cases of eating disorders associated with brain lesions

• Simple changes occur w hypothalamic lesions• AN and BN type changes occur with right

frontal and temporal damage• Uher & Treasure, J Neurol Neurosurg 2005


• The plastic brain• Shaped by experiences and memories• The phantom limb syndrome• Change the brain, control the eating disorder• Change the brain, change society

The Neuroscience of Body Image. Overview How does the brain process body image? Is there a...

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