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Amorim T, Khiyami A, Latif T, Fazeli PK. Neuroendocrine adaptations to starvation. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2023; 157:106365. [PMID: 37573628 PMCID: PMC10543597 DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2023.106365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2022] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Famine and starvation have punctuated the evolutionary past of the human species. As such, we have developed hormonal responses to undernutrition that minimize energy expenditure on processes that are not critical for the survival of the individual, such as reproduction. In this review, we discuss neuroendocrine adaptations to starvation including hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, growth hormone resistance, hypercortisolemia, and the downregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis. We review the time-course of these adaptations by describing studies involving the short-term fasting of healthy individuals as well as studies describing the hormonal changes in states of chronic undernutrition, using individuals with anorexia nervosa as a model of chronic starvation. Lastly, we review representative clinical effects of chronic undernutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tânia Amorim
- Neuroendocrinology Unit, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Center for Human Integrative Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Anamil Khiyami
- Neuroendocrinology Unit, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Tariq Latif
- Neuroendocrinology Unit, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Pouneh K Fazeli
- Neuroendocrinology Unit, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States; Center for Human Integrative Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
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2
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Banica I, Allison G, Racine SE, Foti D, Weinberg A. All the Pringle ladies: Neural and behavioral responses to high-calorie food rewards in young adult women. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14188. [PMID: 36183246 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Reward processing is vital for learning and survival, and can be indexed using the Reward Positivity (RewP), an event-related potential (ERP) component that is larger for rewards than losses. Prior work suggests that heightened motivation to obtain reward, as well as greater reward value, is associated with an enhanced RewP. However, the extent to which internal and external factors modulate neural responses to rewards, and whether such neural responses motivate reward-seeking behavior, remains unclear. The present study investigated whether the degree to which a reward is salient to an individual's current motivational state modulates the RewP, and whether the RewP predicts motivated behaviors, in a sample of 133 women. To elicit the RewP, participants completed a forced-choice food reward guessing task. Data were also collected on food-related behaviors (i.e., type of food chosen, consumption of the food reward) and motivational salience factors (i.e., self-reported hunger, time since last meal, and subjective "liking" of food reward). Results showed that hungrier participants displayed an enhanced RewP compared to less hungry individuals. Further, self-reported snack liking interacted with RewP magnitude to predict behavior, such that when participants reported low levels of snack liking, those with a smaller RewP were more likely to consume their snacks than those with a larger RewP. Our data suggest that food-related motivational state may increase neural sensitivity to food reward in young women, and that neural markers of reward sensitivity might interact with subjective reward liking to predict real-world eating behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iulia Banica
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Grace Allison
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Sarah E Racine
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Dan Foti
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Anna Weinberg
- Department of Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
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3
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Merege-Filho CAA, Gil SS, Kirwan JP, Murai IH, Dantas WS, Nucci MP, Pastorello B, de Lima AP, Bazán PR, Pereira RMR, de Sá-Pinto AL, Lima FR, Brucki SMD, de Cleva R, Santo MA, Leite CDC, Otaduy MCG, Roschel H, Gualano B. Exercise modifies hypothalamic connectivity and brain functional networks in women after bariatric surgery: a randomized clinical trial. Int J Obes (Lond) 2023; 47:165-174. [PMID: 36585494 PMCID: PMC10134041 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-022-01251-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obesity is a disease that may involve disrupted connectivity of brain networks. Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for obesity, and the positive effects on obesity-related conditions may be enhanced by exercise. Herein, we aimed to investigate the possible synergistic effects of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) and exercise training on brain functional networks. METHODS Thirty women eligible for bariatric surgery were randomly assigned to a Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB: n = 15, age = 41.0 ± 7.3 years) or RYGB plus Exercise Training (RYGB + ET: n = 15, age = 41.9 ± 7.2 years). Clinical, laboratory, and brain functional connectivity parameters were assessed at baseline, and 3 (POST3) and 9 months (POST9) after surgery. The 6-month, three-times-a-week, exercise intervention (resistance plus aerobic exercise) was initiated 3 months post-surgery (for RYGB + ET). RESULTS Exercise superimposed on bariatric surgery (RYGB + ET) increased connectivity between hypothalamus and sensorial regions (seed-to-voxel analyses of hypothalamic connectivity), and decreased default mode network (DMN) and posterior salience (pSAL) network connectivity (ROI-to-ROI analyses of brain networks connectivity) when compared to RYGB alone (all p-FDR < 0.05). Increases in basal ganglia (BG) network connectivity were only observed in the exercised training group (within-group analyses). CONCLUSION Exercise training is an important component in the management of post-bariatric patients and may improve the hypothalamic connectivity and brain functional networks that are involved in controlling food intake. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrial.gov: NCT02441361.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A A Merege-Filho
- Applied Physiology & Nutrition Research Group; School of Physical Education and Sport; Laboratory of Assessment and Conditioning in Rheumatology; Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Saulo S Gil
- Applied Physiology & Nutrition Research Group; School of Physical Education and Sport; Laboratory of Assessment and Conditioning in Rheumatology; Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - John P Kirwan
- Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Igor H Murai
- Applied Physiology & Nutrition Research Group; School of Physical Education and Sport; Laboratory of Assessment and Conditioning in Rheumatology; Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Wagner S Dantas
- Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Mariana P Nucci
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neuroradiology (LIM-44), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bruno Pastorello
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neuroradiology (LIM-44), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Alisson Padilha de Lima
- Applied Physiology & Nutrition Research Group; School of Physical Education and Sport; Laboratory of Assessment and Conditioning in Rheumatology; Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Paulo R Bazán
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neuroradiology (LIM-44), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rosa M R Pereira
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ana L de Sá-Pinto
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Fernanda R Lima
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sonia M D Brucki
- Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Unit, Department of Neurology, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Roberto de Cleva
- Gastroenterology Department, Digestive Surgery Division Department of Digestive Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marco A Santo
- Gastroenterology Department, Digestive Surgery Division Department of Digestive Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Claudia da Costa Leite
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neuroradiology (LIM-44), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Maria Concepción García Otaduy
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Neuroradiology (LIM-44), Hospital das Clinicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Hamilton Roschel
- Applied Physiology & Nutrition Research Group; School of Physical Education and Sport; Laboratory of Assessment and Conditioning in Rheumatology; Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil
| | - Bruno Gualano
- Applied Physiology & Nutrition Research Group; School of Physical Education and Sport; Laboratory of Assessment and Conditioning in Rheumatology; Faculdade de Medicina FMUSP, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil.
- Rheumatology Division, Hospital das Clínicas HCFMUSP, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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Liu Y, Niu H, Zhang T, Cai L, Liu D, Zhao E, Zhu L, Qiao P, Zheng W, Ren P, Wang Z. Altered spontaneous brain activity during dobutamine challenge in healthy young adults: A resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Front Neurosci 2023; 16:1033569. [PMID: 36685245 PMCID: PMC9853379 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1033569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction There is a growing interest in exploring brain-heart interactions. However, few studies have investigated the brain-heart interactions in healthy populations, especially in healthy young adults. The aim of this study was to explore the association between cardiovascular and spontaneous brain activities during dobutamine infusion in healthy young adults. Methods Forty-eight right-handed healthy participants (43 males and 5 females, range: 22-34 years) underwent vital signs monitoring, cognitive function assessment and brain MRI scans. Cardiovascular function was evaluated using blood pressure and heart rate, while two resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) methods-regional homogeneity (ReHo) and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF)-were used together to reflect the local neural activity of the brain. Logistic regression was used to model the association between brain and heart. Results Results showed that blood pressure and heart rate significantly increased after dobutamine infusion, and the performance in brain functional activity was the decrease in ReHo in the left gyrus rectus and in ALFF in the left frontal superior orbital. The results of logistic regression showed that the difference of diastolic blood pressure (DBP) had significant positive relationship with the degree of change of ReHo, while the difference of systolic blood pressure (SBP) had significant negative impact on the degree of change in ALFF. Discussion These findings suggest that the brain-heart interactions exist in healthy young adults under acute cardiovascular alterations, and more attention should be paid to blood pressure changes in young adults and assessment of frontal lobe function to provide them with more effective health protection management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yawen Liu
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Haijun Niu
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Tingting Zhang
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China,Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Linkun Cai
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Liu
- Department of Ultrasound, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Erwei Zhao
- National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Liang Zhu
- National Research Center for Rehabilitation Technical Aids, Beijing, China
| | - PengGang Qiao
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Zheng
- National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China
| | - Pengling Ren
- Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China,Pengling Ren,
| | - Zhenchang Wang
- School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing, China,Department of Radiology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China,*Correspondence: Zhenchang Wang,
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The brain bases of regulation of eating behaviors: the role of reward, executive control, and valuation processes, and new paths to propel the field forward. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Pimpini L, Kochs S, Franssen S, van den Hurk J, Valente G, Roebroeck A, Jansen A, Roefs A. More complex than you might think: Neural representations of food reward value in obesity. Appetite 2022; 178:106164. [PMID: 35863505 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2022.106164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Obesity reached pandemic proportions and weight-loss treatments are mostly ineffective. The level of brain activity in the reward circuitry is proposed to be proportionate to the reward value of food stimuli, and stronger in people with obesity. However, empirical evidence is inconsistent. This may be due to the double-sided nature of high caloric palatable foods: at once highly palatable and high in calories (unhealthy). This study hypothesizes that, viewing high caloric palatable foods, a hedonic attentional focus compared to a health and a neutral attentional focus elicits more activity in reward-related brain regions, mostly in people with obesity. Moreover, caloric content and food palatability can be decoded from multivoxel patterns of activity most accurately in people with obesity and in the corresponding attentional focus. During one fMRI-session, attentional focus (hedonic, health, neutral) was manipulated using a one-back task with individually tailored food stimuli in 32 healthy-weight people and 29 people with obesity. Univariate analyses (p < 0.05, FWE-corrected) showed that brain activity was not different for palatable vs. unpalatable foods, nor for high vs. low caloric foods. Instead, this was higher in the hedonic compared to the health and neutral attentional focus. Multivariate analyses (MVPA) (p < 0.05, FDR-corrected) showed that palatability and caloric content could be decoded above chance level, independently of either BMI or attentional focus. Thus, brain activity to visual food stimuli is neither proportionate to the reward value (palatability and/or caloric content), nor significantly moderated by BMI. Instead, it depends on people's attentional focus, and may reflect motivational salience. Furthermore, food palatability and caloric content are represented as patterns of brain activity, independently of BMI and attentional focus. So, food reward value is reflected in patterns, not levels, of brain activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leonardo Pimpini
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands.
| | - Sarah Kochs
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Sieske Franssen
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Netherlands
| | - Job van den Hurk
- Scannexus, Maastricht, Netherlands; Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Netherlands
| | - Giancarlo Valente
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Netherlands
| | - Alard Roebroeck
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Netherlands
| | - Anita Jansen
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Anne Roefs
- Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
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Wu H, Dai G, Aizezi M, Tang J, Zou K, Wu Y, Wu X. Gray matter reduction in bilateral insula mediating adverse psychiatric effects of body mass index in schizophrenia. BMC Psychiatry 2022; 22:639. [PMID: 36221050 PMCID: PMC9552355 DOI: 10.1186/s12888-022-04285-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Both schizophrenia (SZ) and overweight/obesity (OWB) have shown some structural alterations in similar brain regions. As higher body mass index (BMI) often contributes to worse psychiatric outcomes in SZ, this study was designed to examine the effects of OWB on gray matter volume (GMV) in patients with SZ. METHODS Two hundred fifty subjects were included and stratified into four groups (n = 69, SZ patients with OWB, SZ-OWB; n = 74, SZ patients with normal weight, SZ-NW; n = 54, healthy controls with OWB, HC-OWB; and n = 53, HC with NW, HC-NW). All participants were scanned using high-resolution T1-weighted sequence. The whole-brain voxel-based morphometry was applied to examine the GMV alterations, and a 2 × 2 full factorial analysis of variance was performed to identify the main effects of diagnosis (SZ vs HC), BMI (NW vs OWB) factors, and their interactions. Further, the post hoc analysis was conducted to compare the pairwise differences in GMV alterations. RESULTS The main effects of diagnosis were located in right hippocampus, bilateral insula, rectus, median cingulate/paracingulate gyri and thalamus (SZ < HC); while the main effects of BMI were displayed in right amygdala, left hippocampus, bilateral insula, left lingual gyrus, and right superior temporal gyrus (OWB < NW). There were no significant diagnosis-by-BMI interaction effects in the present study, but the results showed that both SZ and OWB were additively associated with lower GMV in bilateral insula. Moreover, mediation analyses revealed the indirect effect of BMI on negative symptom via GMV reduction in bilateral insula. CONCLUSION This study further supports that higher BMI is associated with lower GMV, which may increase the risk of unfavourable disease courses in SZ.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wu
- grid.412558.f0000 0004 1762 1794Psychiatry Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, 600 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong China ,The Affiliated Kashi Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Kashi, China
| | - Guochao Dai
- The Affiliated Kashi Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Kashi, China ,Radiology Department, The First People’s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture, Kashi, China
| | - Muyeseer Aizezi
- The Affiliated Kashi Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Kashi, China ,Psychiatry Department, The First People’s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture, 120 Yingbin Avenue, Kashi, Xinjiang China
| | - Juan Tang
- The Affiliated Kashi Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Kashi, China ,Psychiatry Department, The First People’s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture, 120 Yingbin Avenue, Kashi, Xinjiang China
| | - Ke Zou
- The Affiliated Kashi Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Kashi, China ,Radiology Department, The First People’s Hospital of Kashi Prefecture, Kashi, China
| | - Yuhua Wu
- The Affiliated Kashi Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Kashi, China. .,Psychiatry Department, The First People's Hospital of Kashi Prefecture, 120 Yingbin Avenue, Kashi, Xinjiang, China.
| | - Xiaoli Wu
- Psychiatry Department, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, 600 Tianhe Road, Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. .,The Affiliated Kashi Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University, Kashi, China.
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Kerem L, Lawson EA. The Effects of Oxytocin on Appetite Regulation, Food Intake and Metabolism in Humans. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:7737. [PMID: 34299356 PMCID: PMC8306733 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22147737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2021] [Revised: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The hypothalamic peptide oxytocin and its receptor are involved in a range of physiological processes, including parturition, lactation, cell growth, wound healing, and social behavior. More recently, increasing evidence has established the effects of oxytocin on food intake, energy expenditure, and peripheral metabolism. In this review, we provide a comprehensive description of the central oxytocinergic system in which oxytocin acts to shape eating behavior and metabolism. Next, we discuss the peripheral beneficial effects oxytocin exerts on key metabolic organs, including suppression of visceral adipose tissue inflammation, skeletal muscle regeneration, and bone tissue mineralization. A brief summary of oxytocin actions learned from animal models is presented, showing that weight loss induced by chronic oxytocin treatment is related not only to its anorexigenic effects, but also to the resulting increase in energy expenditure and lipolysis. Following an in-depth discussion on the technical challenges related to endogenous oxytocin measurements in humans, we synthesize data related to the association between endogenous oxytocin levels, weight status, metabolic syndrome, and bone health. We then review clinical trials showing that in humans, acute oxytocin administration reduces food intake, attenuates fMRI activation of food motivation brain areas, and increases activation of self-control brain regions. Further strengthening the role of oxytocin in appetite regulation, we review conditions of hypothalamic insult and certain genetic pathologies associated with oxytocin depletion that present with hyperphagia, extreme weight gain, and poor metabolic profile. Intranasal oxytocin is currently being evaluated in human clinical trials to learn whether oxytocin-based therapeutics can be used to treat obesity and its associated sequela. At the end of this review, we address the fundamental challenges that remain in translating this line of research to clinical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liya Kerem
- Neuroendocrine Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
- Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Lawson
- Neuroendocrine Unit, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
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