A functional MRI study of 20 trained hypnosis practitioners, ages 27-72 years, in which participants were scanned while imagining either being thirsty or drinking to satiate thirst, suggests that the subjective experience of thirst can be dissociated from the thirst stimulus produced by dehydration, that the network of brain regions associated with subjective thirst includes regions also associated with drinking behavior, and that functional connectivity between the brain's anterior midcingulate cortex and insula may be necessary for experiencing thirst.
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Article #20-02825: "Regional brain responses associated with using imagination to evoke and satiate thirst," by Pascal Saker et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Derek A. Denton, University of Melbourne, AUSTRALIA; tel: +61-3-8344-5639; e-mail: ddenton@unimelb.edu.au ; Pascal Saker, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, AUSTRALIA; tel: +64-20-415-15229; e-mail: pascal@thebrainclinic.net
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences