Decision-making is a core aspect of human behaviors and the ability to make good choices is necessary for personal health and happiness as well as the efficient functioning of society as a whole. The goal is to understand the neural mechanisms of decision-making in healthy, typical populations as well as how these processes become dysfunctional in specific behavioral disorders and pathophysiologies.

Professor Hare's previous research has examined the neural networks that mediate decision-making for various reward types (primary, monetary, social). He and his team have shown that while key areas of the decision network are recruited across choice domains, the regions with which they interact differ between decision contexts. Furthermore, they have demonstrated differences in the neural networks that mediate choice in individuals who successfully employ self-control compared to those with self-control failures.

Numerous studies show that people who exercise regularly live longer, healthier, and even happier lives. On the other hand, skeletal muscle dysfunction has been reported to play a major role in many diseases. Less well understood is how skeletal muscle function promotes health. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms behind skeletal muscle function could lead to the discovery of new treatment targets for many patients suffering from diseases ranging from metabolic disorders to muscle dystrophy.

Dr. Gommaar D'Hulst is part of The Laboratory of Exercise and Health, which aims to unravel the metabolic and molecular pathways through which different cell types in the muscle communicate. In the muscle microenvironment, muscle stem cells, muscle fibroblasts, and blood vessels closely interact with myofibers to control muscle function.

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Dietary habits reflect individual food preferences and are often related to culture, education, socioeconomic background, and health status. In this very first episode, we discuss how to make better dietary choices, look at factors that influence our weight management, talk about the various diets, and weigh in on the latest trends in nutrition.

Christian Wolfrum is a Full Professor of the Institute of Food Nutrition and Health at the ETH Zürich, Switzerland. His research focuses on elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the altered adipocyte differentiation and maturation associated with obesity and other metabolic disorders. He received several honors, including the H.P. Kaufmann Award (2000), the Young Investigators Award by the EFSTL (2004), the Starting Independent Researcher Grant from the ERC (2008) and the Rössler Award (2014).

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About BIETNIK