Journal article
Obesity is associated with high serotonin 4 receptor availability in the brain reward circuitry
Copenhagen University Hospital Herlev and Gentofte1
Department of Informatics and Mathematical Modeling, Technical University of Denmark2
Cognitive Systems, Department of Informatics and Mathematical Modeling, Technical University of Denmark3
Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging4
Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark5
The neurobiology underlying obesity is not fully understood. The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) is established as a satiety-generating signal, but its rewarding role in feeding is less well elucidated. From animal experiments there is now evidence that the 5-HT4 receptor (5-HT4R) is involved in food intake, and that pharmacological or genetic manipulation of the receptor in reward-related brain areas alters food intake.Here, we used positron emission tomography in humans to examine the association between cerebral 5-HT4Rs and common obesity.We found in humans a strong positive association between body mass index and the 5-HT4R density bilaterally in the two reward ‘hot spots’ nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum, and additionally in the left hippocampal region and orbitofrontal cortex.These findings suggest that the 5-HT4R is critically involved in reward circuits that regulate people's food intake.
They also suggest that pharmacological stimulation of the cerebral 5-HT4R may reduce reward-related overeating in humans.
Language: | English |
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Year: | 2012 |
Pages: | 884-888 |
ISSN: | 10959572 and 10538119 |
Types: | Journal article |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.03.050 |