Damage to the brain region that initiates eating would most likely cause which outcome?

• A. We would gain excessive weight
• B. We would forget how to speak
• C. We would starve
• D. We would have increased aggression

Answer: (C)

The brain region that initiates eating is the lateral hypothalamus, a key part of the hunger-regulation system. When this area is damaged, the drive to start eating diminishes or disappears, leading to aphagia—the person stops eating. Without this initiation signal, sustained feeding doesn’t occur, so weight declines and starvation can result if the individual isn’t supported, even though other functions like speaking or aggression remain unaffected. This explains why starving is the most likely outcome, rather than gaining weight, losing language ability, or showing increased aggression.