Cell Metabolism
Volume 29, Issue 1, 8 January 2019, Pages 39-49.e4
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Clinical and Translational Report
Neurocognitive and Hormonal Correlates of Voluntary Weight Loss in Humans

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2018.09.024Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • We performed functional MRI in individuals who undertook a weight-loss regimen

  • Calorie restriction led to weight loss and leptin and ghrelin adaptations

  • We uncovered a neural signature of successful weight loss

  • The best predictor of success was activation in prefrontal cortex during the regime

Summary

Insufficient responses to hypocaloric diets have been attributed to hormonal adaptations that override self-control of food intake. We tested this hypothesis by measuring circulating energy-balance hormones and brain functional magnetic resonance imaging reactivity to food cues in 24 overweight/obese participants before, and 1 and 3 months after starting a calorie restriction diet. Increased activity and functional connectivity in prefrontal regions at month 1 correlated with weight loss at months 1 and 3. Weight loss was also correlated with increased plasma ghrelin and decreased leptin, and these changes were associated with food cue reactivity in reward-related brain regions. However, the reduction in leptin did not counteract weight loss; indeed, it was correlated with further weight loss at month 3. Activation in prefrontal regions associated with self-control could contribute to successful weight loss and maintenance. This work supports the role of higher-level cognitive brain function in body-weight regulation in humans.

Keywords

fMRI
leptin
ghrelin
DLPFC
VMPFC
self-control
obesity
appetite

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