AP PSYCHOLOGY

MOTIVATION EMOTION AND STRESS

MOTIVATION AND EMOTION

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What is the purpose of the lateral hypothalamus?
A
to convert incoming calories into energy
B
to monitor the amount of glucose available in the blood
C
to provide signals that tell us when to stop eating
D
to provide signals that tell us when to eat
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The LH is generally known as the hunger center, and two of its main functions are the stimulation of feeding behavior and arousal. Electrical stimulation of the LH results in ravenous eating behavior, and animals are extremely motivated to work for a food reward (Stuber and Wise, 2016).

Detailed explanation-2: -General Functions of the Lateral Hypothalamus LH neurons control feeding, blood pressure, heart rate, water intake and sodium excretion largely through the activation of adrenergic receptors (Shiraishi, 1991; Saad et al., 2000; Mendonca et al., 2018).

Detailed explanation-3: -The ventromedial nuclei is the satiety center, and when stimulated, it causes the sensation of fullness. On the other hand, the lateral hypothalamic area is the feeding center and when stimulated, it causes the sensation of hunger.

Detailed explanation-4: -The hypothalamus maintains energy homeostasis by regulating homeostatic food intake. The specific hypothalamic neurons sense nutritional and hormonal signals from the blood. It has been reported that the hypothalamus increases appetite by sensing low glucose availability, and decreases it under glucose repletion.

Detailed explanation-5: -So, this tells us that the hypothalamus plays an important role in regulating the motivation to eat. One explanation for how this process works is that the hypothalamus influences the amount of fat that can be stored in cells, which in turn influences hunger.

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