Neuroimaging, gut peptides and obesity: novel studies of the neurobiology of appetite

Abstract

Two major biological players in the regulation of body weight are the gut and the brain. Peptides released from the gut convey information about energy needs to areas of the brain involved in homeostatic control of food intake. There is emerging evidence that human food intake is also under the control of cortical and subcortical areas related to reward and cognition. The extent to which gut hormones influence these brain areas is not fully understood. Novel methods combining the study of neural activity and hormonal signalling promise to advance our understanding of gut-brain interactions. Here, we review a growing number of animal and human studies using neuroimaging methods (functional magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography) to measure brain activation in relation to nutrient loads and infusion of gut peptides. Implications for current and future pharmacological treatments for obesity are discussed.

Fig. 1

Brain regions involved in feeding behaviour. Acb, nucleus accumbens; BLA, basolateral amygdala; CEA, central nucleus of the amygdala; DMH, dorsomedial hypothalamus; LH, lateral hypothalamus; MD, mediodorsal thalamic nucleus; NTS, nucleus of the solitary tract; PB, parabrachial nucleus; PV, paraventricular; PVN, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus; VMH, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus. Image reproduced with permission (129).