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Journal Article

Increased brain reward responsivity to food‐related odors in obesity

MPS-Authors
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Horstmann,  Annette
Department of Psychology and Logopedics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Finland;
Integrated Research and Treatment Center Adiposity Diseases, University of Leipzig, Germany;
Department Neurology, MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Max Planck Society;
Collaborative Research Center Obesity Mechanisms, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Leipzig, Germany;

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Poessel,  Maria
Integrated Research and Treatment Center Adiposity Diseases, University of Leipzig, Germany;
Department Neurology, MPI for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Max Planck Society;

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Han_2021.pdf
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Citation

Han, P., Roitzsch, C., Horstmann, A., Poessel, M., & Hummel, T. (2021). Increased brain reward responsivity to food‐related odors in obesity. Obesity, 29(7), 1138-1145. doi:10.1002/oby.23170.


Cite as: https://hdl.handle.net/21.11116/0000-0008-7061-C
Abstract
Objective

Food odors serve as powerful stimuli signaling the food quality and energy density and direct food‐specific appetite and consumption. This study explored obesity‐related brain activation in response to odors related to high‐ or low‐energy‐dense foods.
Methods

Seventeen participants with obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m2; 4 males and 13 females) and twenty‐one with normal weight (BMI < 25 kg/m2; 9 males and 12 females) underwent a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan in which they received chocolate (high‐energy‐dense food) and cucumber (low‐energy‐dense food) odor stimuli. Participants’ olfactory and gustatory functions were assessed by the “Sniffin’ Sticks” and “Taste Strips” tests, respectively.
Results

Compared with normal‐weight controls, participants with obesity had lower odor sensitivity (phenylethyl alcohol) and decreased odor discrimination ability. However, participants with obesity demonstrated greater brain activation in response to chocolate compared with cucumber odors in the bilateral inferior frontal operculum and cerebellar vermis, right ventral anterior insula extending to putamen, right middle temporal gyrus, and right supramarginal areas.
Conclusions

The present study provides preliminary evidence that obesity is associated with heightened brain activation of the reward and flavor processing areas in response to chocolate versus cucumber odors, possibly because of the higher energy density and reinforcing value of chocolate compared with cucumber.