Research reportEffective connectivity of a reward network in obese women
Section snippets
Materials and methods
The data used for the path analysis were the same data reported in Stoeckel et al. [77]. With the exception of the section discussing the methods of path analysis, the information below is provided in greater detail in Stoeckel et al. [77].
Results
All of the estimated path coefficients were significantly different from zero for the obese group and controls for both hemispheres in both the high- and low-calorie food models, consistent with the specified connectivity model (p values < 0.001; Table 1).
Discussion
Previous research has shown that food cues, especially those associated with high-calorie foods, trigger hyperactivity in brain regions including NAc, AMYG, and OFC thought to mediate or at least code for motivational and emotional processes in obese individuals (e.g., [68], [77]). In the present study, we tested whether there were differences in network connections between NAc, AMYG, and OFC in response to high- and low-calorie food images within and between obese and normal-weight groups. It
Conclusions and summary
In summary, our neuroimaging study found aberrant reward network connectivity in obese individuals compared to controls, with reduced connectivity from AMYG to OFC and NAc and increased connectivity in OFC → NAc in these participants. These results add to previous reports in showing that there is not only exaggerated reward system activation in response to foods, but also an abnormal interaction between regions in this network in obese individuals. In particular, we think overeating in obese
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.
Acknowledgments
Supported by the NIH-NIDCD Intramural Research Program, the GCRC grant M01 RR-00032 from the National Center for Research Resources, the Procter and Gamble Co., and resources of UAB's Center for the Development of Functional Imaging (CDFI).
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