Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances the Brain's Response to Hedonic Food Stimuli: An fMRI Study
Abstract
CONTEXT: There is growing recognition that a large number of individuals living in Western society are chronically sleep deprived. Sleep deprivation is associated with an increase in food consumption and appetite. However, the brain regions that are most susceptible to sleep deprivation-induced changes when processing food stimuli are unknown. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to examine brain activation after sleep and sleep deprivation in response to images of food. INTERVENTION: Twelve normal-weight male subjects were examined on two sessions in a counterbalanced fashion: after one night of total sleep deprivation and one night of sleep. On the morning after either total sleep deprivation or sleep, neural activation was measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging in a block design alternating between high- and low-calorie food items. Hunger ratings and morning fasting plasma glucose concentrations were assessed before the scan, as were appetite ratings in response to food images after the scan. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Compared with sleep, total sleep deprivation was associated with an increased activation in the right anterior cingulate cortex in response to food images, independent of calorie content and prescan hunger ratings. Relative to the postsleep condition, in the total sleep deprivation condition, the activation in the anterior cingulate cortex evoked by foods correlated positively with postscan subjective appetite ratings. Self-reported hunger after the nocturnal vigil was enhanced, but importantly, no change in fasting plasma glucose concentration was found. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence that acute sleep loss enhances hedonic stimulus processing in the brain underlying the drive to consume food, independent of plasma glucose levels. These findings highlight a potentially important mechanism contributing to the growing levels of obesity in Western society.
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Neuroimaging studies highlight a role of the neuronal reward network in response to foods as an explanation for enhanced food intake after sleep restriction.
“Neuroimaging studies have highlighted a role of the neuronal reward network in response to foods as an attempt to explain enhanced food intake after periods of sleep restriction.75–77”
From Sleep Duration and Quality: Impact on Lifestyle Behaviors and Cardiometabolic Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association (2016) · cites this paper as [77]
An fMRI study has shown that acute sleep deprivation enhances the brain's response to hedonic food stimuli.
“An fMRI study has shown that acute sleep deprivation enhances the brain's response to hedonic food stimuli.80”
From Sleep duration and incidence of obesity in infants, children, and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies (2018) · cites this paper as [80]
Sleep loss enhances hedonic stimulus processing in the brain underlying the drive to consume food.
“These results suggest that sleep loss enhances hedonic stimulus processing in the brain underlying the drive to consume food.80”
From Sleep duration and incidence of obesity in infants, children, and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies (2018) · cites this paper as [80]
Acute sleep loss accentuates the brain's hedonic response to food.
“Acute sleep loss increases food intake and ideal portion sizes (Hogenkamp et al., 2013;St-Onge et al., 2011), accentuates the brain's hedonic response to food (Benedict et al., 2012), and relatedly, impairs the ability to cognitively inhibit pre-potent responses to rewarding food stimuli (Cedernaes et al., 2014; topics reviewed in Cedernaes et al., 2015a).”
From Sleep restriction alters plasma endocannabinoids concentrations before but not after exercise in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Benedict et al., 2012
Sleep restriction increases craving and intake of food during morning hours.
“which have demonstrated that sleep restriction increases craving and intake of food during morning hours (Benedict et al., 2012;Cedernaes et al., 2014;Chapman et al., 2013;Hogenkamp et al., 2013;St-Onge et al., 2011)”
From Sleep restriction alters plasma endocannabinoids concentrations before but not after exercise in humans (2016) · cites this paper as Benedict et al., 2012
Total sleep deprivation and partial sleep deprivation lead to greater stimulation of brain regions in response to hedonic food stimuli.
“TSD [60] and PSD [61] lead to greater stimulation of brain regions in response to hedonic food stimuli.”
From Association between sleep deficiency and cardiometabolic disease: implications for health disparities (2016) · cites this paper as [60]
Areas of brain with increased neuronal activity after sleep deprivation were associated with reward centers.
“The areas of brain with increased neuronal activity after sleep deprivation were associated with reward centers.”
From Association between sleep deficiency and cardiometabolic disease: implications for health disparities (2016) · cites this paper as [60]
Overall neuronal activity measured by fMRI in response to food stimuli was greater after sleep restriction than habitual sleep.
“The overall neuronal activity measured by fMRI in response to food stimuli was greater after sleep restriction than habitual sleep.”
From Association between sleep deficiency and cardiometabolic disease: implications for health disparities (2016) · cites this paper as [60]
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References 17 · Cited by 308
- Authors
- Benedict, C., Brooks, S. J., O'Daly, O. G., Almèn, M. S., Morell, A., Åberg, K., Gingnell, M., Schultes, B., Hallschmid, M., Broman, J.-E., Larsson, E.-M., & Schiöth, H. B.
- Affiliations
- Uppsala University (SE)
- Department of Neuroimaging (O.G.O.), Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
- Departments of Neuroscience (C.B., S.J.B., M.S.A., J.-E.B., H.B.S.), SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
- Radiology (A.M., K.Å., E.-M.L.), SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
- Kantonsspital St. Gallen (CH)
- University of Lübeck (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Benedict, Christian
- ORCID
- Venue
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism
- Publisher
- The Endocrine Society
- Published
- 2012-03-01
- Volume
- 97
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- E443-E447
- ISSN
- 0021-972X (ISSN-L)
- 1945-7197
- OpenAlex
- W2021469987
- Cited by
- 308
- References
- 17
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 18 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 61 · 2019: 27 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 21 · 2014: 20 · 2013: 31 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 13.25
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Research Portal (King's College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Brain Research Foundation
- Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale
- Novo Nordisk
- Vetenskapsrådet
- Uppsala Universitet
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Keywords
- sleep deprivation, food reward, anterior cingulate cortex, appetite, hunger, food images, obesity, fasting blood glucose, neuronal activation
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Appetite, Brain, Brain Mapping, Food, Humans, Hunger, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Photic Stimulation, Reward, Sleep Deprivation, Cross-Over Studies
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