RT Journal
A1 Grosshans M, Vollmert C, Vollstädt-Klein S, et al
T1 ASsociation of leptin with food cue–induced activation in human reward pathways
JF Archives of General Psychiatry
JO Archives of General Psychiatry
YR 2012
FD May 1
VO 69
IS 5
SP 529
OP 537
DO 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1586
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1586
AB Context 
                  Overlapping neurobiological pathways between obesity and addiction disorders are currently in discussion. Whereas the hypothalamic regulation of energy homeostasis by endocrine feedback signals has been widely investigated, its interplay with mesolimbic reward-associated pathways represents a rich field of future research.Objective 
                  To assess changes in regional brain activation in response to food-related cues in association with body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) and the plasma concentration of the appetite-regulating peptide leptin.Design 
                  Case-control study.Setting 
                  Academic addiction and brain imaging center, Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Germany.Participants 
                  Twenty-one obese subjects (BMI >30) and 23 age- and sex-matched nonobese control subjects (BMI 18.5-24.0) recruited by advertisements.Main Outcome Measures 
                  Regional brain activation (blood oxygen level–dependent response) in response to visual cue presentation and association of the brain activation with BMI and plasma leptin concentration.Results 
                  Significant positive relationships were observed for food cue–induced brain activations in the ventral striatum in association with the plasma concentration of leptin (r = 0.27; P = .04) and with BMI (r = 0.47; P = .001).Conclusions 
                  Data suggest a physiological role of satiety factors in modulating the responsivity of mesolimbic circuits to food cues. Moreover, an altered homeostatic feedback regulation of reward pathways might explain addictionlike behavior and the inability of obese patients to adapt food intake to physiological needs.