New research at UT Southwestern Medical Center may explain why some people who are stressed or depressed overeat.

Shown above is muscle tissue from a young mouse. On the right side are healthy, new cells created to replace damaged tissue. This ability to regenerate new cells diminishes with age. Credit: Photo courtesy of Morgan Carlson and Irina Conboy, UC Berkeley Old muscle got a shot of youthful vigor in a stem cell experiment by bioengineers at the University of California, Berkeley, setting the path for research on new treatments for age-related degenerative conditions such as muscle atrophy or Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.