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The contribution of brain reward circuits to the obesity epidemic
Open accessAbstract
One of the defining characteristics of the research of Ann E. Kelley was her recognition that the neuroscience underlying basic learning and motivation processes also shed significant light upon mechanisms underlying drug addiction and maladaptive eating patterns. In this review, we examine the parallels that exist in the neural pathways that process both food and drug reward, as determined by recent studies in animal models and human neuroimaging experiments. We discuss contemporary research that suggests that hyperphagia leading to obesity is associated with substantial neurochemical changes in the brain. These findings verify the relevance of reward pathways for promoting consumption of palatable, calorically dense foods, and lead to the important question of whether changes in reward circuitry in response to intake of such foods serve a causal role in the development and maintenance of some cases of obesity. Finally, we discuss the potential value for future studies at the intersection of the obesity epidemic and the neuroscience of motivation, as well as the potential concerns that arise from viewing excessive food intake as an "addiction". We suggest that it might be more useful to focus on overeating that results in frank obesity, and multiple health, interpersonal, and occupational negative consequences as a form of food "abuse".
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“Neuroimaging studies have identified some of the brain mechanisms associated with obesity and food addiction 39, 40, demonstrating alterations in the core reward network (e.g. nucleus accumbens) and the extended reward network (i.e. emotion regulation, executive control, salience and somatosensory networks) 41, 42, 43.”
From History of early life adversity is associated with increased food addiction and sex-specific alterations in reward network connectivity in obesity (2019) · cites this paper as [42]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Stice, E., Figlewicz, D. P., Gosnell, B. A., Levine, A. S., & Pratt, W. E.
- Affiliations
- Oregon Research Institute (US)
- VA Puget Sound Health Care System (US)
- University of Minnesota (US)
- Wake Forest University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Pratt, Wayne E.
- Venue
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-11
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 2047-2058
- ISSN
- 0149-7634 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3604128
- OpenAlex
- W2076709716
- Cited by
- 274
- References
- 166
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 20 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 56 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 21 · 2013: 11
- FWCI
- 2.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- NIH (R1MH064560A, DK080760, DK092468, DK40963)
- NIH/NIDA (R01DA021280)
- NIH/NIDDK (P30DK50456)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Keywords
- brain reward circuits, obesity, food reward, drug reward, hyperphagia, motivation, food addiction, palatable food intake, neurochemical changes
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Brain, Humans, Motivation, Neural Pathways, Obesity, Reward, Behavior, Addictive
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