Our brains are hardwired to stop us from drinking more water than is healthy, according to a new brain imaging study.
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to scan two physiological conditions of the brain, starting with scanning brain regions during the experience of thirst. Participants were then removed from the scanner and asked to drink to satiation or “overdrink” and returned for further scanning.
Stop Mechanism
The findings point to a “stop mechanism” that controls brain signals, telling the individual to stop drinking water when no longer thirsty. The study was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS), the official journal of the United States National Academy of Sciences.
Researcher Derek Denton from the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the University of Melbourne, says the study provided insight into the human instincts that determine survival behavior and those that are also of medical importance.
“Different areas of the brain involved in emotional decision-making were activated when people drank water after becoming thirsty and when study participants followed instructions to keep drinking when no longer thirsty.
“The brain regions determining the signals to stop drinking have not previously been recognized in this context. It identifies an important component in regulation and this ‘stop mechanism’ may prevent complications from excessive water intake,” he said.
Over Drinking
Over drinking can reduce the salt concentration of the blood, which can result in the swelling of the brain, a potentially fatal condition. Also known as polydipsia, it has been found in some patients with schizophrenia and in some marathon runners.
Denton believes the findings could be applied to other aspects of human gratification.
“This is a study of elements of gratification and how the body programs accurate behavior. In revealing aspects of gratification control, the data are relevant to study the gratification of other instincts, such as food intake, salt intake, and sexual behavior,” he says.
The study was co-lead by the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and done in collaboration with the Baker IDI Heart, the Diabetes Institute, and Monash Biomedical Imaging.
Republished from Futurity.org under Creative Commons License 3.0.
*Image of “man drinking water“ via Shutterstock
Friends Read Free