What is really happening when you are pondering an extra helping of ice cream? Could a brain scan help you understand and rethink your urge to eat and overeat spareribs?

These are some of the research questions supported by grants from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. This past summer, the institute tapped clinical neuropsychologist Luke Stoeckel, Ph.D., a UAB alumnus, to lead its new Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience of Obesity and Diabetes Program. “There’s a growing area of research coming from various corners of neuroscience that is clearly showing that there are aspects of brain function — outside of regulating hunger — that are important for the development and maintenance of diabetes and obesity,” said Stoeckel, who received his doctorate in medical/clinical psychology at UAB in 2009. “This is an important and understudied area that can help us understand the growing epidemics of obesity and diabetes.”