A recent study published in Brain Imaging and Behavior revealed that individuals with obesity show heightened brain responses, particularly in the insula region, to monetary rewards when compared to those of average weight. This discovery offers new insights into the neural pathways associated with obesity and reward processing, suggesting that the brains of individuals with higher BMIs may be more sensitive to rewarding stimuli. ...
  • Drusas
    26•1 year ago

    This is very interesting. It further highlights how we need more research into addiction, its causes and treatment options.

    The researchers discovered a significant positive relationship between BMI and insula activation. In simpler terms, the more overweight a person was, the more their insula region responded when presented with the possibility of a reward. This finding suggests that the brains of individuals with higher BMIs might be more sensitive to rewarding stimuli.

    “The major take away from our study should be that the brains of people with obesity respond more strongly to rewards (money, not just food rewards!) than those of people within the normal weight range,” Richter told PsyPost. “This finding supports previous studies that found aberrations in brain volume in areas that process rewards in participants with obesity.”

    Interestingly, when the researchers excluded participants with obesity from their analysis, the link between BMI and heightened reward responses disappeared.