scholarly journals Humans with obesity have disordered brain responses to food images during physiological hyperglycemia

2018 ◽  
Vol 314 (5) ◽  
pp. E522-E529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Belfort-DeAguiar ◽  
Dongju Seo ◽  
Cheryl Lacadie ◽  
Sarita Naik ◽  
Christian Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Blood Oxygen Level Dependent ◽  
Normal Weight ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Food Cues ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Hyperglycemic Clamp ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Food Images

Blood glucose levels influence brain regulation of food intake. This study assessed the effect of mild physiological hyperglycemia on brain response to food cues in individuals with obesity (OB) versus normal weight individuals (NW). Brain responses in 10 OB and 10 NW nondiabetic healthy adults [body mass index: 34 (3) vs. 23 (2) kg/m2, means (SD), P < 0.0001] were measured with functional MRI (blood oxygen level-dependent contrast) in combination with a two-step normoglycemic-hyperglycemic clamp. Participants were shown food and nonfood images during normoglycemia (~95 mg/dl) and hyperglycemia (~130 mg/dl). Plasma glucose levels were comparable in both groups during the two-step clamp ( P = not significant). Insulin and leptin levels were higher in the OB group compared with NW, whereas ghrelin levels were lower (all P < 0.05). During hyperglycemia, insula activity showed a group-by-glucose level effect. When compared with normoglycemia, hyperglycemia resulted in decreased activity in the hypothalamus and putamen in response to food images ( P < 0.001) in the NW group, whereas the OB group exhibited increased activity in insula, putamen, and anterior and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (aPFC/dlPFC; P < 0.001). These data suggest that OB, compared with NW, appears to have disruption of brain responses to food cues during hyperglycemia, with reduced insula response in NW but increased insula response in OB, an area involved in food perception and interoception. In a post hoc analysis, brain activity in obesity appears to be associated with dysregulated motivation (striatum) and inappropriate self-control (aPFC/dlPFC) to food cues during hyperglycemia. Hyperstimulation for food and insensitivity to internal homeostatic signals may favor food consumption to possibly play a role in the pathogenesis of obesity.

scholarly journals The Effects of Kisspeptin on Brain Response to Food Images and Psychometric Parameters of Appetite in Healthy Men

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Yang ◽  
Lysia Demetriou ◽  
Matthew B Wall ◽  
Edouard G Mills ◽  
Victoria C Wing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Metabolic Effects ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Healthy Men ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Double Blinded

Abstract Context The hormone kisspeptin has crucial and well-characterized roles in reproduction. Emerging data from animal models also suggest that kisspeptin has important metabolic effects including modulation of food intake. However, to date there have been no studies exploring the effects of kisspeptin on brain responses to food stimuli in humans. Objective This work aims to investigate the effects of kisspeptin administration on brain responses to visual food stimuli and psychometric parameters of appetite, in healthy men. Design A double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted. Participants Participants included 27 healthy, right-handed, eugonadal men (mean ± SEM: age 26.5 ± 1.1 years; body mass index 23.9 ± 0.4 kg/m2). Intervention Participants received an intravenous infusion of 1 nmol/kg/h of kisspeptin or rate-matched vehicle over 75 minutes. Main Outcome Measures Measurements included change in brain activity on functional magnetic resonance imaging in response to visual food stimuli and change in psychometric parameters of appetite, during kisspeptin administration compared to vehicle. Results Kisspeptin administration at a bioactive dose did not affect brain responses to visual food stimuli or psychometric parameters of appetite compared to vehicle. Conclusions This is the first study in humans investigating the effects of kisspeptin on brain regions regulating appetite and demonstrates that peripheral administration of kisspeptin does not alter brain responses to visual food stimuli or psychometric parameters of appetite in healthy men. These data provide key translational insights to further our understanding of the interaction between reproduction and metabolism.

scholarly journals The Paternal Transition Entails Neuroanatomic Adaptations that are Associated with the Father’s Brain Response to his Infant Cues

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
María Paternina-Die ◽  
Magdalena Martínez-García ◽  
Clara Pretus ◽  
Elseline Hoekzema ◽  
Erika Barba-Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Activity ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Paternal Behavior ◽  
Cortical Volume ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
First Time ◽  
Infant Cues ◽  
Parental Brain

Abstract The transition into fatherhood is a life-changing event that requires substantial psychological adaptations. In families that include a father figure, sensitive paternal behavior has been shown to positively impact the infant’s development. Yet, studies exploring the neuroanatomic adaptations of men in their transition into fatherhood are scarce. The present study used surface-based methods to reanalyze a previously published prospective magnetic resonance imaging dataset comprised of 20 first-time fathers (preconception-to-postpartum) and 17 childless men. We tested if the transition into fatherhood entailed changes in cortical volume, thickness, and area and whether these changes were related to 2 indicators of paternal experience. Specifically, we tested if such changes were associated with (1) the baby’s age and/or (2) the fathers’ brain activity in response to pictures of their babies compared with an unknown baby. Results indicated that first-time fathers exhibited a significant reduction in cortical volume and thickness of the precuneus. Moreover, higher volume reduction and cortical thinning were associated with stronger brain responses to pictures of their own baby in parental brain regions. This is the first study showing preconception-to-postpartum neuroanatomical adaptations in first-time fathers associated with the father’s brain response to cues of his infant.

scholarly journals Is obesity related to enhanced neural reactivity to visual food cues? A review and meta-analysis.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Filip Morys ◽  
Isabel García-García ◽  
Alain Dagher
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Cue Reactivity ◽  
Theoretical Work ◽  
Fusiform Gyrus ◽  
Food Cues ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Neural Reactivity ◽  
Food Pictures ◽  
Left Insula

Abstract Theoretical work suggests that obesity is related to enhanced incentive salience of food cues. However, evidence from both behavioral and neuroimaging studies on the topic is mixed. In this work we review the literature on cue reactivity in obesity and perform a preregistered meta-analysis of studies investigating effects of obesity on brain responses to passive food pictures viewing. Further, we examine whether age influences brain responses to food cues in obesity. In the meta-analysis we included 13 studies of children and adults that investigated group differences (obese vs. lean) in responses to food vs. non-food pictures viewing. While we found no significant differences in the overall meta-analysis, we show that age significantly influences brain response differences to food cues in the left insula and the left fusiform gyrus. In the left insula, obese vs. lean brain differences in response to food cues decreased with age, while in the left fusiform gyrus the pattern was opposite. Our results suggest that there is little evidence for obesity-related differences in responses to food cues and that such differences might be mediated by additional factors that are often not considered.

scholarly journals Recruitment of cognitive control regions during effortful self-control is associated with altered brain activity in control and reward systems in dieters during subsequent exposure to food commercials

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Lopez ◽  
Andrea L. Courtney ◽  
Dylan D. Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Control ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Food Cues ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Subsequent Exposure ◽  
Disinhibited Eating ◽  
Regulatory Capacity ◽  
Frontoparietal Control Network ◽  
Control Regions

Engaging in effortful self-control can sometimes impair people’s ability to resist subsequent temptations. Existing research has shown that when chronic dieters’ self-regulatory capacity is challenged by prior exertion of effort, they demonstrate disinhibited eating and altered patterns of brain activity when exposed to food cues. However, the relationship between brain activity during self-control exertion and subsequent food cue exposure remains unclear. In the present study, we investigated whether individual differences in recruitment of cognitive control regions during a difficult response inhibition task are associated with a failure to regulate neural responses to rewarding food cues in a subsequent task in a cohort of 27 female dieters. During self-control exertion, participants recruited regions commonly associated with inhibitory control, including dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Those dieters with higher DLPFC activity during the initial self-control task showed an altered balance of food cue elicited activity in regions associated with reward and self-control, namely: greater reward-related activity and less recruitment of the frontoparietal control network. These findings suggest that some dieters may be more susceptible to the effects of self-control exertion than others and, whether due to limited capacity or changes in motivation, these dieters subsequently fail to engage control regions that may otherwise modulate activity associated with craving and reward.

scholarly journals 0331 Neurological Impact on the Reward Processing of Food Images Imposed by Mild Sleep Restriction in Adolescents

SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. A126-A126
Author(s):  
M Alsameen ◽  
M W DiFrancesco ◽  
M St-Onge ◽  
D W Beebe
Keyword(s):  
Sleep Duration ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Reward Processing ◽  
Sleep Restriction ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Food Category ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Food Images ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Introduction Previous studies indicate that lack of sleep might increase risk for unhealthy eating and obesity. This is particularly important during adolescence, when most youth sleep less than the recommended 8-10 hours/night and dietary habits are developed that extend into adulthood. This study investigated the relationship between multi-night sleep restriction and the appeal of food, including neuroimaging to examine the impact on brain responses to food-related stimuli. Methods Healthy 14-17 year-old adolescents (n=39) completed an experimental sleep manipulation across consecutive five-night periods to compare nightly sleep of approximately 9 hours (healthy sleep duration) vs. about 6.3 hours (mild sleep restriction). At the end of each week, participants underwent functional MRI while performing a visual food appeal task. The task included 42 photos in each of four food categories (sweets, snacks, fast-food, meat/fruit/vegetable) and one non-food category. Photos were presented every 3 seconds in blocks of 7 within each category; 6 interleaved blocks per category. Teens rated the appeal of each block of photos. General linear modeling explained regional brain response according to categorical presentation time-courses. Results The pattern of brain responses to the different food types was similar across the two sleep conditions. However, the sleep manipulation led to significant regional effects when contrasting the totality of food vs non-food images. Specifically, when compared to non-food, food images overall resulted in greater activation in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and substantia nigra (SN) during sleep restriction. Both regions have been previously shown to be involved in processing reward-related information. Conclusion Our findings suggest neuronal responses in reward circuitry for teens viewing food images are influenced by sleep duration. Sleep restriction may affect reward processing of food in teens by increasing brain activation in VTA/SN network components that underlie dopamine-mediated motivational drive. Support Supported by NIH R01HL120879

Behavior in the Brain

2010 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin M. Monti ◽  
Adrian M. Owen
Keyword(s):  
Motor Behavior ◽  
Functional Neuroimaging ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Motor Output ◽  
The Unconscious ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Minimally Conscious ◽  
Brain Insults ◽  
Brain Behavior

Recent evidence has suggested that functional neuroimaging may play a crucial role in assessing residual cognition and awareness in brain injury survivors. In particular, brain insults that compromise the patient’s ability to produce motor output may render standard clinical testing ineffective. Indeed, if patients were aware but unable to signal so via motor behavior, they would be impossible to distinguish, at the bedside, from vegetative patients. Considering the alarming rate with which minimally conscious patients are misdiagnosed as vegetative, and the severe medical, legal, and ethical implications of such decisions, novel tools are urgently required to complement current clinical-assessment protocols. Functional neuroimaging may be particularly suited to this aim by providing a window on brain function without requiring patients to produce any motor output. Specifically, the possibility of detecting signs of willful behavior by directly observing brain activity (i.e., “brain behavior”), rather than motoric output, allows this approach to reach beyond what is observable at the bedside with standard clinical assessments. In addition, several neuroimaging studies have already highlighted neuroimaging protocols that can distinguish automatic brain responses from willful brain activity, making it possible to employ willful brain activations as an index of awareness. Certainly, neuroimaging in patient populations faces some theoretical and experimental difficulties, but willful, task-dependent, brain activation may be the only way to discriminate the conscious, but immobile, patient from the unconscious one.

scholarly journals Conditional Entropy: A Potential Digital Marker for Stress

Entropy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 286
Author(s):  
Soheil Keshmiri
Keyword(s):  
Resting State ◽  
Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Solution Concept ◽  
Conditional Entropy ◽  
K Nearest Neighbor ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Substantial Progress ◽  
Eeg Recordings ◽  
The Brain

Recent decades have witnessed a substantial progress in the utilization of brain activity for the identification of stress digital markers. In particular, the success of entropic measures for this purpose is very appealing, considering (1) their suitability for capturing both linear and non-linear characteristics of brain activity recordings and (2) their direct association with the brain signal variability. These findings rely on external stimuli to induce the brain stress response. On the other hand, research suggests that the use of different types of experimentally induced psychological and physical stressors could potentially yield differential impacts on the brain response to stress and therefore should be dissociated from more general patterns. The present study takes a step toward addressing this issue by introducing conditional entropy (CE) as a potential electroencephalography (EEG)-based resting-state digital marker of stress. For this purpose, we use the resting-state multi-channel EEG recordings of 20 individuals whose responses to stress-related questionnaires show significantly higher and lower level of stress. Through the application of representational similarity analysis (RSA) and K-nearest-neighbor (KNN) classification, we verify the potential that the use of CE can offer to the solution concept of finding an effective digital marker for stress.

scholarly journals Predicting optimal deep brain stimulation parameters for Parkinson’s disease using functional MRI and machine learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandre Boutet ◽  
Radhika Madhavan ◽  
Gavin J. B. Elias ◽  
Suresh E. Joel ◽  
Robert Gramer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Deep Brain Stimulation ◽  
Brain Stimulation ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Brain Response ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Clinical Benefits ◽  
Deep Brain

AbstractCommonly used for Parkinson’s disease (PD), deep brain stimulation (DBS) produces marked clinical benefits when optimized. However, assessing the large number of possible stimulation settings (i.e., programming) requires numerous clinic visits. Here, we examine whether functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be used to predict optimal stimulation settings for individual patients. We analyze 3 T fMRI data prospectively acquired as part of an observational trial in 67 PD patients using optimal and non-optimal stimulation settings. Clinically optimal stimulation produces a characteristic fMRI brain response pattern marked by preferential engagement of the motor circuit. Then, we build a machine learning model predicting optimal vs. non-optimal settings using the fMRI patterns of 39 PD patients with a priori clinically optimized DBS (88% accuracy). The model predicts optimal stimulation settings in unseen datasets: a priori clinically optimized and stimulation-naïve PD patients. We propose that fMRI brain responses to DBS stimulation in PD patients could represent an objective biomarker of clinical response. Upon further validation with additional studies, these findings may open the door to functional imaging-assisted DBS programming.

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