Binge Eating Disorder: An fMRI Investigation of Reward Processing

Binge eating disorder is characterized by excessive, uncontrollable consumption of palatable food within brief periods of time. Excessive intake of palatable food is thought to be driven by hedonic, rather than energy homeostatic, mechanisms. However, reward processing does not only comprise consummatory actions; a key component is represented by the anticipatory phase directed at procuring the reward. This phase is highly influenced by environmental food-associated stimuli, which can robustly enhance the desire to eat even in the absence of physiological needs. The opioid system (endogenous peptides and their receptors) has been strongly linked to the rewarding aspects of palatable food intake, and perhaps represents the key system involved in hedonic overeating. Here we review evidence suggesting that the opioid system can also be regarded as one of the systems that regulates the anticipatory incentive processes preceding binge eating hedonic episodes.

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A pilot study linking reduced fronto-Striatal recruitment during reward processing to persistent bingeing following treatment for binge-eating disorder

International Journal of Eating Disorders ◽

10.1002/eat.22204 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 47 (4) ◽

pp. 376-384 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Iris M. Balodis ◽

Carlos M. Grilo ◽

Hedy Kober ◽

Patrick D. Worhunsky ◽

Marney A. White ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorder ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Binge Eating ◽

Binge Eating Disorder ◽

Reward Processing

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Monetary Reward Processing in Obese Individuals With and Without Binge Eating Disorder

Biological Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.biopsych.2013.01.014 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 73 (9) ◽

pp. 877-886 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

Author(s):

Iris M. Balodis ◽

Hedy Kober ◽

Patrick D. Worhunsky ◽

Marney A. White ◽

Michael C. Stevens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorder ◽

Binge Eating ◽

Binge Eating Disorder ◽

Reward Processing ◽

Monetary Reward

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Differential expression of deltaFosB in reward processing regions between binge eating prone and resistant female rats

10.1101/821355 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Richard Quansah Amissah ◽

Sandrine Chometton ◽

Juliane Calvez ◽

Genevieve Guèvremont ◽

Elena Timofeeva ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorder ◽

Binge Eating ◽

Binge Eating Disorder ◽

Rat Model ◽

Insular Cortex ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Reward Processing ◽

Female Rats ◽

Female Rat ◽

Stress Processing

AbstractBinge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by bingeing and compulsivity. Even though BED is the most prevalent eating disorder, little is known about its pathophysiology. We aimed to identify brain regions and neuron subtypes implicated in the development of binge-like eating in a female rat model. We separated rats into binge eating prone (BEP) and binge eating resistant (BER) phenotypes based on the amount of sucrose they consumed following foot-shock stress. We quantified deltaFosB (ΔFosB) expression to assess chronic neuronal activation during phenotyping. The number of ΔFosB-expressing neurons was: 1) higher in BEP than BER rats in reward processing areas (medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (Acb), and ventral tegmental area (VTA)); 2) similar in taste processing areas (insular cortex and parabrachial nucleus); 3) higher in the paraventricular nucleus of BEP than BER rats, but not different in the locus coeruleus, which are stress processing structures. To study subtypes of ΔFosB-expressing neurons in the reward system, we performed in situ hybridization for glutamate decarboxylase 65 and tyrosine hydroxylase mRNA after ΔFosB immunohistochemistry. In the mPFC and Acb, the proportions of gamma-aminobutyric acidergic (GABAergic) and non-GABAergic ΔFosB-expressing neurons were similar in BER and BEP rats. In the VTA, while the proportion of dopaminergic ΔFosB-expressing neurons was similar in both phenotypes, the proportion of GABAergic ΔFosB-expressing neurons was higher in BER than BEP rats. Our results suggest that reward processing brain regions, particularly the VTA, are important for the development of binge-like eating.SignificanceBecause ΔFosB expression is associated with a reduction of activity in neurons, a higher expression of ΔFosB in the mPFC, Acb, and VTA of binge eating prone rats compared to binge eating resistant rats suggests a decrease in neuronal activity in these regions, which is consistent with results observed in neuroimaging studies in binge eating disorder patients. This decrease in activity due to ΔFosB expression may underlie the compulsivity and overconsumption of palatable food observed in both our rat model of binge-like eating and binge eating disorder patients.

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Klassifikation von Essstörungen im Zuge von DSM-V mit besonderem Fokus auf der Diagnostik von Essanfällen bei der Binge-Eating-Störung

Zeitschrift für Psychiatrie Psychologie und Psychotherapie ◽

10.1024/1661-4747/a000081 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 59 (4) ◽

pp. 267-274 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anja Hilbert

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorder ◽

Binge Eating ◽

Binge Eating Disorder ◽

Klinische Relevanz ◽

Dsm V

Zusammenfassung.Die Klassifikation von Essstörungen steht im Zentrum aktuellen Forschungsinteresses. Gerade relativ rezente diagnostische Kategorien wie die Binge-Eating- oder Essanfallsstörung (Binge Eating Disorder, BED) und diagnostische Hauptmerkmale wie Essanfälle bedürfen im Zuge der Überarbeitungen des DSM einer Überprüfung. In dem vorliegenden Artikel werden zunächst die für das DSM-V vorgeschlagenen Veränderungen der diagnostischen Kriterien der BED und anderer Essstörungen beschrieben. Anschließend wird das Essanfallsmerkmal der Größe der verzehrten Nahrungsmenge in einer Forschungsübersicht hinsichtlich seiner klinischen Relevanz für die BED betrachtet. Dabei zeigt sich, dass sowohl objektive als auch subjektive Essanfälle psychopathologisch relevant sind. Jedoch sind objektive Essanfälle aufgrund ihrer Assoziation mit einem geringeren Behandlungserfolg, einer größeren residualen Symptomatik und vermehrten Rückfalltendenzen das vergleichsweise stringentere Erfolgskriterium in der Therapieerfolgsforschung der BED. Vor diesem Hintergrund erscheint es für die BED zentral, neben objektiven Essanfällen zusätzlich auch subjektive Essanfälle zu erfassen. Für das DSM-V wird empfohlen, ein Schema zu entwerfen, um das Auftreten und die Häufigkeit dieser Formen von Essanfällen für die BED sowie für andere klinische und subklinische Formen von Essanfällen systematisch zu erheben. Eine sorgfältige Erfassung der Essanfallsgröße in Studien zur Psychopathologie, zum Verlauf und zur Behandlung, wird es erlauben, die klinische Relevanz dieses Merkmals über das Essstörungsspektrum hinweg weiter zu klären.

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