A functional neuroimaging review of obesity, appetitive hormones and ingestive behavior
Year: 2017
Type: preprint
Abstract: Adequate energy intake is vital for the survival of humans and is regulated by complex homeostatic and hedonic mechanisms. Supported by functional MRI (fMRI) studies that consistently demonstrate differences in brain response as a function of weight status during exposure to appetizing food stimuli, it has been posited that hedonically driven food intake contributes to weight gain and obesity maintenance. These food reward theories of obesity are reliant on the notion that the aberrant brain response to food stimuli relates directly to ingestive behavior, specifically, excess food intake. However current studies frequently use weight as a dependent measure, and homeostatic neuroendocrine regulators of food intake, such as leptin and ghrelin, are also impacted by weight status. Importantly, these differences endocrine functioning may contribute to effects seen in fMRI studies of reward-related obesity. In the present review, we examine the relative influence of weight and weight change, exogenous administration of appetitive hormones, and measures of ingestive behavior on BOLD response to food stimuli. Emerging evidence implicating the influences of impulsivity, macronutrient content, and reward learning and habituation in ingestive behavior and obesity are also considered.
Author: Kyle Stanley Burger
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4238446046