Visually induced appetite: Identifying the neural basis of a risk factor for overeating

Abstract

Event Abstract Back to Event Visually induced appetite: Identifying the neural basis of a risk factor for overeating Luca Passamonti1, 2*, J.B Rowe1, 3, 4, C. Schwarzbauer1, 5, M.P Ewbank1, E.A Von Dem Hagen1 and A.J Calder1 1 Medical Research Council,University of Cambridge, United Kingdom 2 Institute of Neurological Sciences, Italy 3 Cambridge University, United Kingdom 4 Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute,University of Cambridge, United Kingdom 5 University of Cambridge, United Kingdom Eating is not only triggered by hunger, but also by the taste, smell and sight of foods. Viewing appetizing foods alone can evoke a desire to eat, although there is considerable variation in this ‘External Food Sensitivity’ (EFS) . Since high EFS has been associated with food craving and overeating , identifying the neural correlates of this tendency is important for understanding obesity. Animal research has identified a broad network mediating feeding, including the ventral striatum, amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus, and premotor and medial prefrontal cortices . However, it is unclear whether a similar network is involved in humans and how these structures interact. Using functional imaging (fMRI) in healthy volunteers, we investigated how EFS influences the neural correlates of viewing foods. Connectivity analyses revealed that when viewing appetizing vs. bland foods, high EFS individuals displayed: 1) a reduced negative change in connectivity between the amygdala and ventral striatum, and between the ventral striatum and the premotor cortex, and 2) a reduced positive change in connectivity between the ventral striatum and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and between the amygdala and both ventral and dorsal ACC. The network identified shows considerable overlap with the feeding network identified in rat models.