Food images trigger withdrawal symptoms in obesity, according to a recent study conducted by researchers from the Milanese universities Bicocca, Statale, and the Irccs MultiMedica and Galeazzi-Sant’Ambrogio. The study aimed to explore how the excessive desire for food is reflected in specific brain circuits.
The research findings revealed that in individuals affected by obesity, viewing images of food created an excessive desire for food. This phenomenon was attributed to a reinforcement of connections between areas of desire with specific visual areas, along with a lower connection with frontal control regions. The study, titled ‘How Images of Food Become Cravingly Salient in Obesity,’ was led by Francantonio Devoto and coordinated by Eraldo Paulesu from the Milano-Bicocca Department of Psychology.
One significant finding of the study was that, for the first time, the ventral tegmental area of the brain (Vta) was shown to have increased connectivity with other brain regions in obese individuals. The Vta is crucial for motivated behaviors and the structures involved in motivation and reward appreciation, which are linked to the gratifying properties of food.
The research also highlighted that obesity is accompanied by a functional alteration of the brain, even during rest periods that do not involve specific cognitive or sensory processes. The data suggested that food-related visual stimuli may become overly salient due to an unbalanced connectivity of the reward system with specific visual sensory regions and the prefrontal cortex involved in cognitive control.
Francantonio Devoto, a researcher at Milano-Bicocca, emphasized the importance of the study for basic scientists, clinicians, and patients. He stated, “With this work, we provide a new interpretation of the brain mechanisms underlying excessive motivation towards food in obesity, a sensation that every overweight person, or with obesity, has experienced when tempted by images of food.”
The study sheds light on the complex relationship between obesity and the brain’s response to food cues. Understanding these mechanisms could lead to better strategies for managing obesity and reducing the desire for food triggered by visual stimuli.
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