Science Meets Music | Rewiring Appetite: How the Brain, Hormones, and Modern Life Shape Our Eating Habits

Speaker: Dr. Sarah Stern, Research Group Leader at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience 

Musical Guests: Arnaud Sussmann and the 2026 Rising Artists of the Palm Beach Chamber Music Society  

'What drives us to eat—and what tells us to stop?' Neuroscientist Dr.?Sarah?Stern?studies how the insular cortex, a region deep within the brain, integrates internal signals like hunger and hormones with external influences such as stress,?food cues, and social context. Her lab’s recent work has revealed that leptin receptors?in this area directly shape feeding behavior and even short-term weight regulation. Using advanced tools such as single-cell sequencing?and real-time calcium imaging, Dr.?Stern’s team is uncovering how these circuits adapt to changing states of hunger and stress. 

While the world is focused on GLP-1–based drugs?like Ozempic and?Mounjaro, Dr.?Stern?will show why understanding the neural basis of appetite and satiety?is key to explaining why some people respond to these treatments and others do not, and what that could mean for?developing future treatments that are more effective, with fewer side effects. 

Science Meets Music is free and open to the public. Advanced registration required. The series takes place at the Benjamin Upper School, 4875 Grandiflora Circle, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418. Doors open at 6 p.m. The program begins at 6:15 p.m. Registration: https://www.mpfi.org/smmmar26/