Cited by 311Eating Disorders and BehaviorsRegulation of Appetite and ObesityNeurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior

Anorexia nervosa and obesity are associated with opposite brain reward response

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Frank, Guido K W, Reynolds, Jeremy R, Shott, Megan E, Jappe, Leah, Yang, Tony T, Tregellas, Jason R, O'Reilly, Randall C·2012·Neuropsychopharmacology

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder associated with food avoidance and malnutrition. In this study, we wanted to test whether we would find brain reward alterations in AN, compared with individuals with normal or increased body weight. We studied 21 underweight, restricting-type AN (age M 22.5, SD 5.8 years), 19 obese (age M 27.1, SD 6.7 years), and 23 healthy control women (age M 24.8, SD 5.6 years), using blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance brain imaging together with a reward-conditioning task. This paradigm involves learning the association between conditioned visual stimuli and unconditioned taste stimuli, as well as the unexpected violation of those learned associations. The task has been associated with activation of brain dopamine reward circuits, and it allows the comparison of actual brain response with expected brain activation based on established neuronal models. A group-by-task condition analysis (family-wise-error-corrected P<0.05) indicated that the orbitofrontal cortex differentiated all three groups. The dopamine model reward-learning signal distinguished groups in the anteroventral striatum, insula, and prefrontal cortex (P<0.001, 25 voxel cluster threshold), with brain responses that were greater in the AN group, but lesser in the obese group, compared with controls. These results suggest that brain reward circuits are more responsive to food stimuli in AN, but less responsive in obese women. The mechanism for this association is uncertain, but these brain reward response patterns could be biomarkers for the respective weight state.

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  1. Spielberger CD (1983). Manual for the State-Trate Anxiety Inventory. Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.: Palo Alto, CA.

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Authors
Frank, G. K. W., Reynolds, J. R., Shott, M. E., Jappe, L., Yang, T. T., Tregellas, J. R., & O'Reilly, R. C.
Affiliations
  • University of Colorado Anschutz (US)
  • University of Denver (US)
  • University of Minnesota (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Frank, Guido K W
Venue
Neuropsychopharmacology
Published
2012-05-02
Volume
37
Issue
9
Pages
2031-2046
ISSN
  • 0893-133X (ISSN-L)
  • 1740-634X
OpenAlex
W2109310636
Cited by
311
References
73
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 19 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 56 · 2019: 20 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 30 · 2016: 31 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 25 · 2013: 22 · 2012: 1
FWCI
27.56
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuropsychopharmacology (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01MH085734, K23MH080135)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
Keywords
anorexia nervosa, obesity, orbitofrontal cortex, reward conditioning, food reward, insula, prefrontal cortex, body weight, women, biomarkers
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Anorexia Nervosa, Brain, Conditioning, Operant, Female, Humans, Nerve Net, Obesity, Reward, Sucrose, Taste, Young Adult

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