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Chapter 12 - Basic Human Behaviours

Eating and Addiction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2025

By
Samantha Scholtz
Edited by
Niruj Agrawal  and
Norman Poole
Niruj Agrawal
Affiliation:
St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London
Norman Poole
Affiliation:
South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
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Summary

This chapter discusses the role of neuroanatomy in the development and maintenance of obesity. Similar to other addictive behaviors, alterations in dopaminergic and opioid pathways involved in food reward are important in obesity. The reward system, including the striatal nucleus accumbens, caudate nucleus, amygdala, anterior insula, and OFC, has been implicated in the development of obesity. Activation in these areas to food cues predicts food consumption, weight gain, and changes with weight loss. Interestingly, gut hormones can modulate the activation of these reward systems both at rest and in response to food stimuli. Surgical interventions for obesity have proven to be the most effective tool for treating obesity. However, if anatomical manipulations of the gut can alter the hedonic evaluation of food, then the gut-brain axis may be the most important target for future treatments of obesity. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the neuroanatomical basis of obesity and highlights the importance of understanding the reward system in the development and treatment of obesity.

Keywords

Appetitefood rewardbinge eatingobesitydopaminefood cuesfunctional neuroimagingbariatric surgeryemotional eatinghedonic eating
Type
Chapter
Information
Essential Neuroscience for Psychiatrists , pp. 331 - 344
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2025

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References

Key References

Berthoud, HR. Metabolic and hedonic drives in the neural control of appetite: who is the boss? Curr Opin Neurobiology. 2011;21(6):888–896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, PJ. Reward mechanisms in obesity: new insights and future directions. Neuron. 2011;69(4):664–679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leenaerts, N, Jongen, D, Ceccarini, J, Van Oudenhove, L, Vrieze, E. The neurobiological reward system and binge eating: a critical systematic review of neuroimaging studies. Intern J Eating Disorders. 2022;55(11):1421–1458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morton, GJ, Cummings, DE, Baskin, DG, Barsh, GS, Schwartz, MW. Central nervous system control of food intake and body weight. Nature. 2006;443(7109):289–295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schachter, S. Some extraordinary facts about obese humans and rats. Amer Psychologist. 1971;26(2):129–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van der Laan, LN, de Ridder, DT, Viergever, MA, Smeets, PA. The first taste is always with the eyes: a meta-analysis on the neural correlates of processing visual food cues. NeuroImage. 2011;55(1):296–303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berthoud, HR. Metabolic and hedonic drives in the neural control of appetite: who is the boss? Curr Opin Neurobiology. 2011;21(6):888–896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, PJ. Reward mechanisms in obesity: new insights and future directions. Neuron. 2011;69(4):664–679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leenaerts, N, Jongen, D, Ceccarini, J, Van Oudenhove, L, Vrieze, E. The neurobiological reward system and binge eating: a critical systematic review of neuroimaging studies. Intern J Eating Disorders. 2022;55(11):1421–1458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morton, GJ, Cummings, DE, Baskin, DG, Barsh, GS, Schwartz, MW. Central nervous system control of food intake and body weight. Nature. 2006;443(7109):289–295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schachter, S. Some extraordinary facts about obese humans and rats. Amer Psychologist. 1971;26(2):129–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van der Laan, LN, de Ridder, DT, Viergever, MA, Smeets, PA. The first taste is always with the eyes: a meta-analysis on the neural correlates of processing visual food cues. NeuroImage. 2011;55(1):296–303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Berthoud, HR. Metabolic and hedonic drives in the neural control of appetite: who is the boss? Curr Opin Neurobiology. 2011;21(6):888–896.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kenny, PJ. Reward mechanisms in obesity: new insights and future directions. Neuron. 2011;69(4):664–679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leenaerts, N, Jongen, D, Ceccarini, J, Van Oudenhove, L, Vrieze, E. The neurobiological reward system and binge eating: a critical systematic review of neuroimaging studies. Intern J Eating Disorders. 2022;55(11):1421–1458.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morton, GJ, Cummings, DE, Baskin, DG, Barsh, GS, Schwartz, MW. Central nervous system control of food intake and body weight. Nature. 2006;443(7109):289–295.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schachter, S. Some extraordinary facts about obese humans and rats. Amer Psychologist. 1971;26(2):129–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
van der Laan, LN, de Ridder, DT, Viergever, MA, Smeets, PA. The first taste is always with the eyes: a meta-analysis on the neural correlates of processing visual food cues. NeuroImage. 2011;55(1):296–303.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

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  • Basic Human Behaviours
  • Edited by Niruj Agrawal, St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London, Norman Poole, South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Book: Essential Neuroscience for Psychiatrists
  • Online publication: 12 March 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781911623083.014
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Basic Human Behaviours
  • Edited by Niruj Agrawal, St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London, Norman Poole, South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Book: Essential Neuroscience for Psychiatrists
  • Online publication: 12 March 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781911623083.014
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Basic Human Behaviours
  • Edited by Niruj Agrawal, St George's Hospital Medical School, University of London, Norman Poole, South London and the Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust
  • Book: Essential Neuroscience for Psychiatrists
  • Online publication: 12 March 2025
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781911623083.014
Available formats
×