We investigate how the consumption of highly palatable foods rich in sugar and fat disrupts neural circuits that regulate reward, motivation, and feeding behavior in the context of food addiction. Our research focuses on the dopaminergic mesocorticolimbic pathways and orexinergic projections from the lateral hypothalamus, which integrate reward processing with energy homeostasis, through electrophysiological, molecular, and optogenetic approaches. Furthermore, novel strategies to restore neural plasticity and attenuate food-addiction–related behaviors are being evaluated using natural products and their bioactive compounds.

The research investigates neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders associated with dysfunction of the mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic pathways, which are critical for reward processing, motivation, and feeding behavior. Using validated animal models—including social isolation, social defeat, and neurotoxicant-induced paradigms—the studies examine alterations in dopaminergic circuitry and synaptic plasticity. Furthermore, bioactive compounds derived from natural products are evaluated for their ability to restore dopaminergic homeostasis and ameliorate behavioral deficits. These findings aim to advance mechanism-based, natural product-derived therapeutics for neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

This study aims to characterize functional alterations across cortical and subcortical networks, including the prefrontal cortex, by analyzing electroencephalographic (EEG) signatures associated with changes in eating behavior. Furthermore, it seeks to establish a neuro-nutritional framework for developing targeted intervention strategies designed to restore neural network homeostasis and normalize aberrant brain activity underlying maladaptive eating patterns.