Distinct Modulatory Effects of Satiety and Sibutramine on Brain Responses to Food Images in Humans: A Double Dissociation across Hypothalamus, Amygdala, and Ventral Striatum

• DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3323-10.2010
• Publication Date: 2010-10-27T18:05:06Z
• Authors: Paul C. Fletcher; Antonella Napolitano; Andrew Skeggs; Sam R. Miller; Bruno Delafont; Victoria C. Cambr...; Sanne de Wit; Pradeep J. Nathan; Allison Brooke; Stephen O'Rahilly; I. Sadaf Farooqi; Edward T. Bullmore
• Keywords: Ventral striatum; Sibutramine

We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore brain responses food images in overweight humans, examining independently the impact of a prescan meal (“satiety”) and anti-obesity drug sibutramine, serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor. identified significantly different these manipulations amygdala, hypothalamus, ventral striatum. Each region was specifically responsive high-calorie compared low-calorie images. However, striatal response attenuated by satiety (but unaffected sibutramine), while hypothalamic amygdala were but satiety. Direct assessment regional interactions confirmed significance this double dissociation. explored greater detail determining whether they predictive eating behavior weight change. observed that across regions, individual-specific magnitude drug- satiety-induced modulation associated with both variables: sibutramine-induced correlated drug's on subsequently measured ad libitum eating. The also subsequent These results suggest hypothalamus have roles control intake are distinct from those Furthermore, support regionally specific effect function through which sibutramine exerts its clinical effect.