Differential fMRI Responses to Visual Food Cues Between Lean and Obese Subjects

Claudia Huerta¹, Pooja Sarkar¹, Timothy O. Duong²

Obesity is at an epidemic proportion. This study used fMRI to probe the neural responses to visual food cues in lean and obese subjects in fasted and satiated state. We identified stronger activities in structures, such as orbitofrontal cortex and fusiform gyrus, known to engage in reward processing and attention in obese compared with lean. We also found that the orbitofrontal cortex activation did not decrease after eating in obese compared to lean subjects. Our results suggest there are strong neural correlates in eating disorders, which may involve the reward/craving circuitry.