Cognitive Neuroscience of Eating and Obesity (CogNEATO) Lab

Examining neurocognitive and behavioral factors that contribute to pediatric obesity

Under the direction of Alaina L. Pearce, the Cognitive Neuroscience of Eating and Obesity (CogNEATO) Lab examines neurocognitive and behavioral factors that contribute to risk and resiliency to pediatric obesity. Although pediatric obesity has been associated with neurocognitive deficits, it remains unclear whether obesity (and its related co-morbidities) is cause or consequence. The lab examines both feed-forward neurocognitive and behavioral processes that confer risk or resiliency for pediatric obesity and feed-back effects of pediatric obesity on neurocognitive functioning and health through the use of interdisciplinary approaches across cognitive neuroscience, computational modeling, developmental psychology, and the study of ingestive behaviors.