Pilot randomized trial demonstrating reversal of obesity-related abnormalities in reward system responsivity to food cues with a behavioral intervention
Open accessAbstract
Objectives: Obesity is associated with hyperactivation of the reward system for high-calorie (HC) versus low-calorie (LC) food cues, which encourages unhealthy food selection and overeating. However, the extent to which this hyperactivation can be reversed is uncertain, and to date there has been no demonstration of changes by behavioral intervention. Subjects and methods: We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure changes in activation of the striatum for food images at baseline and 6 months in a pilot study of 13 overweight or obese adults randomized to a control group or a novel weight-loss intervention. Results: Compared to controls, intervention participants achieved significant weight loss (−6.3±1.0 kg versus +2.1±1.1 kg, P<0.001) and had increased activation for LC food images with a composition consistent with that recommended in the behavioral intervention at 6 months versus baseline in the right ventral putamen (P=0.04), decreased activation for HC images of typically consumed foods in the left dorsal putamen (P=0.01). There was also a large significant shift in relative activation favoring LC versus HC foods in both regions (P<0.04). Conclusions: This study provides the first demonstration of a positive shift in activation of the reward system toward healthy versus unhealthy food cues in a behavioral intervention, suggesting new avenues to enhance behavioral treatments of obesity.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Even the brain's unconscious reward/craving ("addiction") centers are plastic and can be trained to respond to healthful rather than unhealthful foods.
“Even the brain's unconscious reward/craving (“addiction”) centers are plastic and can be trained to respond to healthful rather than unhealthful foods.395”
From Dietary and Policy Priorities for Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Obesity: A Comprehensive Review (2016) · cites this paper as [395]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Koob, G. F., & Volkow, N. D. (2010) · Neuropsychopharmacology · doi:10.1038/npp.2009.110 · Cited by 5,340 · see citing works
The three-factor eating questionnaire to measure dietary restraint, disinhibition and hunger
Stunkard, A. J., & Messick, S. (1985) · Journal of Psychosomatic Research · doi:10.1016/0022-3999(85)90010-8 · Cited by 4,687 · see citing works
Wang, G.-J., Volkow, N. D., Logan, J., Pappas, N. R., Wong, C. T., Zhu, W., Netusll, N., & Fowler, J. S. (2001) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(00)03643-6 · Cited by 1,864 · see citing works
Reward, dopamine and the control of food intake: implications for obesity
Volkow, N. D., Wang, G.-J., & Baler, R. D. (2011) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2010.11.001 · Cited by 1,400 · see citing works
Harnessing neuroplasticity for clinical applications
Cramer, S. C., Sur, M., Dobkin, B. H., O'Brien, C., Sanger, T. D., Trojanowski, J. Q., Rumsey, J. M., Hicks, R., Cameron, J., Chen, D., et al. (2011) · Brain · doi:10.1093/brain/awr039 · Cited by 1,259 · see citing works
Imaging dopamine's role in drug abuse and addiction
Volkow, N. D., Fowler, J. S., Wang, G. J., Baler, R., & Telang, F. (2009) · Neuropharmacology · doi:10.1016/j.neuropharm.2008.05.022 · Cited by 988 · see citing works
Stice, E., Spoor, S., Bohon, C., & Small, D. M. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1161550 · Cited by 786 · see citing works
Small, D. M., Jones-Gotman, M., & Dagher, A. (2003) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/s1053-8119(03)00253-2 · Cited by 632 · see citing works
Addiction circuitry in the human brain
Volkow, N. D., Wang, G.-J., Fowler, J. S., & Tomasi, D. (2012) · Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology · doi:10.1146/annurev-pharmtox-010611-134625 · Cited by 592 · see citing works
The development and validation of the state and trait food-cravings questionnaires
Cepeda-Benito, A., Gleaves, D. H., Williams, T. L., & Erath, S. A. (2000) · Behavior Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7894(00)80009-x · Cited by 489 · see citing works
Neuroimaging and obesity: current knowledge and future directions
Carnell, S., Gibson, C., Benson, L., Ochner, C. N., & Geliebter, A. (2012) · Obesity Reviews · doi:10.1111/j.1467-789x.2011.00927.x · Cited by 441 · see citing works
ROSENBAUM, M. S., Sy, M., Pavlovich, K. H., Leibel, R. L., & Joy Hirsch, C. (2008) · Journal of Clinical Investigation · doi:10.1172/jci35055 · Cited by 408 · see citing works
Low glycaemic index or low glycaemic load diets for overweight and obesity
Thomas, D., Elliott, E. J., & Baur, L. A. (2007) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd005105.pub2 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Siep, N., Roefs, A., Roebroeck, A., Havermans, R., Bonte, M. L., & Jansen, A. (2009) · Behavioural Brain Research · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2008.10.035 · Cited by 375 · see citing works
Murdaugh, D. L., Cox, J. E., Cook, E. W., & Weller, R. E. (2011) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.10.071 · Cited by 341 · see citing works
Antonio Cepeda-benito, A., Gleaves, D. H., Fernández‐Santaella, M. C., Vila, J., Williams, T. L., & Reynoso, J. T. (2000) · Behaviour Research and Therapy · doi:10.1016/s0005-7967(99)00141-2 · Cited by 282 · see citing works
Food reward, hyperphagia, and obesity
Berthoud, H.-R., Lenard, N. R., & Shin, A. C. (2011) · American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology · doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00028.2011 · Cited by 275 · see citing works
Selective Reduction in Neural Responses to High Calorie Foods Following Gastric Bypass Surgery
Ochner, C. N., Kwok, Y., Conceição, E., Pantazatos, S. P., Puma, L. M., Carnell, S., Teixeira, J. A., Joy Hirsch, C., & Geliebter, A. (2010) · Annals of Surgery · doi:10.1097/sla.0b013e318203a289 · Cited by 249 · see citing works
Jenkins, D. J. A., Jones, P. J. H., Lamarche, B., Kendall, C. W. C., Faulkner, D., Cermakova, L., Gigleux, I., Ramprasath, V., de Souza, R., Ireland, C., et al. (2011) · JAMA · doi:10.1001/jama.2011.1202 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Schur, E. A., Kleinhans, N. M., Goldberg, J. H., Buchwald, D., Schwartz, M. W., & Maravilla, K. R. (2009) · International Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1038/ijo.2009.56 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
Effects of overfeeding on the neuronal response to visual food cues
Cornier, M.-A., Von Kaenel, S. S., Bessesen, D. H., & Tregellas, J. R. (2007) · The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1093/ajcn/86.4.965 · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Effects of dietary glycemic index on brain regions related to reward and craving in men
Lennerz, B. S., Alsop, D. C., Holsen, L. M., Stern, E., Rojas, R., Ebbeling, C. B., Goldstein, J. M., & Ludwig, D. S. (2013) · The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.3945/ajcn.113.064113 · Cited by 140 · see citing works
Lifestyle intervention reduces body weight and improves cardiometabolic risk factors in worksites
Salinardi, T. C., Batra, P. J., Roberts, S. B., Urban, L. E., Robinson, L. M., Pittas, A. G., Lichtenstein, A. H., Deckersbach, T., Saltzman, E. J., & Das, S. K. (2013) · American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.3945/ajcn.112.046995 · Cited by 96 · see citing works
Self-citationBatra, P. J., Das, S. K., Salinardi, T. C., Robinson, L. M., Saltzman, E. J., Scott, T. M., Pittas, A. G., & Roberts, S. B. (2013) · Appetite · doi:10.1016/j.appet.2013.05.002 · Cited by 79 · see citing works
Self-citationChanges in brain activation to food pictures after adjustable gastric banding
Bruce, J. M., Hancock, L. M., Bruce, A. S., Lepping, R. J., Martin, L. E., Lundgren, J. D., Malley, S., Holsen, L. M., & Savage, C. R. (2011) · Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases · doi:10.1016/j.soard.2011.07.006 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
Food reward in the obese and after weight loss induced by calorie restriction and bariatric surgery
Berthoud, H., Zheng, H., & Shin, A. C. (2012) · Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2012.06573.x · Cited by 63 · see citing works
A comparison of functional brain changes associated with surgical versus behavioral weight loss
Bruce, A. S., Bruce, J. M., Ness, A. R., Lepping, R. J., Malley, S., Hancock, L. M., Powell, J. N., Patrician, T. M., Breslin, F. J., Martin, L. E., et al. (2013) · Obesity · doi:10.1002/oby.20630 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Eating behaviors as predictors of weight loss in a 6 month weight loss intervention
Batra, P. J., Das, S. K., Salinardi, T. C., Robinson, L. M., Saltzman, E. J., Scott, T. M., Pittas, A. G., & Roberts, S. B. (2013) · Obesity · doi:10.1002/oby.20404 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Self-citationGenetic Influences on Neural Plasticity
Pearson‐Fuhrhop, K. M., & Cramer, S. C. (2010) · PM&R · doi:10.1016/j.pmrj.2010.09.011 · Cited by 56 · see citing works
Mutation of SLC35D3 Causes Metabolic Syndrome by Impairing Dopamine Signaling in Striatal D1 Neurons
Zhang, Z., Hao, C., Li, C., Zang, D., Zhao, J. C., Li, X., Wei, A., Wei, Z., Yang, L., He, X., et al. (2014) · PLoS Genetics · doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1004124 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Mozaffarian, D. (2016) · Circulation · doi:10.1161/circulationaha.115.018585 · Cited by 2,216 · see citing works
“Even the brain’s unconscious reward/craving (addiction) centers are plastic and can be trained over months to respond to healthful rather than unhealthful foods.(395) Furthermore, for the food industry, the success or failure of specific products has often depended not on differences in contents of fat, sugar, or salt…”
Parletta, N., Zarnowiecki, D., Cho, J., Wilson, A., Bogomolova, S., Villani, A., Itsiopoulos, C., Niyonsenga, T., Blunden, S., Meyer, B., et al. (2019) · Nutritional Neuroscience · doi:10.1080/1028415x.2017.1411320 · Cited by 629 · see citing works
Farr, O. M., Sofopoulos, M., Tsoukas, M. A., Dincer, F., Thakkar, B., Sahin-Efe, A., Filippaios, A., Bowers, J., Srnka, A., Gavrieli, A., et al. (2016) · Diabetologia · doi:10.1007/s00125-016-3874-y · Cited by 287 · see citing works
Neural vulnerability factors that increase risk for future weight gain
Stice, E., & Yokum, S. (2016) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000044 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
Food for Thought: Reward Mechanisms and Hedonic Overeating in Obesity
Lee, P. C., & Dixon, J. B. (2017) · Current Obesity Reports · doi:10.1007/s13679-017-0280-9 · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Food Cues and Obesity: Overpowering Hormones and Energy Balance Regulation
Belfort-DeAguiar, R., & Seo, D. (2018) · Current Obesity Reports · doi:10.1007/s13679-018-0303-1 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Hermann, P., Gál, V., Kóbor, I., Kirwan, C. B., Kovács, P., Kitka, T., Lengyel, Z., Bálint, E., Varga, B., Csekő, C., et al. (2019) · NeuroImage: Clinical · doi:10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101803 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
- Authors
- Deckersbach, T., Das, S. K., Urban, L. E., Salinardi, T., Batra, P., Rodman, A. M., Arulpragasam, A. R., Dougherty, D. D., & Roberts, S. B.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Tufts University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Deckersbach, T
- Roberts, S B
- Venue
- Nutrition & Diabetes
- Published
- 2014-09-01
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- e129-e129
- ISSN
- 2044-4052 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4183968
- OpenAlex
- W2116450868
- Cited by
- 55
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 6.69
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nutrition and Diabetes (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (58‐1950‐0‐0014)
- Food and Nutrition Service
- 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
- obesity, high-calorie foods, low-calorie foods, behavioral weight loss, striatum, ventral putamen, food images
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
