A passage in the brain may determine caloric intake and therefore obesity, University of Wisconsin researchers announced Thursday.

Assistant physiology professor Dongsheng Cai, head of the research team, said the goal of the research was to link the brain to obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

“We found a pathway in the brain; we found that this pathway also exists in the hypothalamus,” Cai said. “We also found that this pathway can be activated by environmental factors — for example, too much calories.”

The team’s research stems from an experiment they conducted with mice. Cai said the research is applicable to humans as well.

“I believe this information is very helpful, since it was produced in animals,” Cai said. “I think the results apply to humans. We have been exposed to a different environment in recent decades and social behavior changes; this has lead to more consumption of calories.”

Cai also said his team will continue to examine the relationship between obesity and the brain.

Dale Schoeller, a professor of nutritional science at UW, also agrees that examining the brain is an important aspect of obesity research, calling it “vital for understanding and ultimately regulating weight control.”

Schoeller also said understanding the link between science and obesity has not been the easiest task.

“Scientifically understanding human obesity is extremely difficult,” Schoeller said. “We can say with certainty that obesity is caused by an interaction with genetics, which would include neuropathways and our environment, but to determine which factors are solely responsible is still being investigated.”

While this new research further illuminates the relation of the brain and obesity, UW sophomore Marc Weimer sees obesity as a combination of factors.

“I think you may be born with a tendency to be obese, but I also think it is a result of our environment as well,” Weimer said.?

Weimer, who has traveled abroad, views obesity as an issue that has become a major problem in our country.

“I think the American lifestyle in particular is mostly responsible and that in our country you almost have to make it a point to stay fit,” he said.

Cai says he has hope for continued research.?

“There are a lot of details; there are other groups in the field that would like to participate in these efforts,” Cai said. “I think we will be able to put our results into a bigger context for the obesity and diabetes that will answer our deeper questions.”