Neuroanatomy of human appetitive function: A positron emission tomography investigation.
OBJECTIVE
The mediating neuroanatomy of human appetitive function is poorly understood. A state induction paradigm was employed, in conjunction with positron emission tomography, to test the hypothesis that limbic/paralimbic regions respond to the desirability of food stimuli.


METHODS
Eight normal subjects were studied during each of three conditions, involving visual exposure to high-caloric food, low-caloric food, and nonfood stimuli. Subjective indices of hunger were measured via analog scales.


RESULTS
Planned contrasts demonstrated significant increases in desire to eat and decreases in left temporoinsular cortical blood flow during the high-caloric versus control conditions.


CONCLUSIONS
Results implicate the temporo-insular cortex in normal appetitive function, suggesting that activity within this region is associated with the desirability or valence of food stimuli, prior to ingestion. These data will provide a broad foundation for future studies of patients with eating disorders.
Gordon
C M
CM
Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Dougherty
D D
DD
Rauch
S L
SL
Emans
S J
SJ
Grace
E
E
Lamm
R
R
Alpert
N M
NM
Majzoub
J A
JA
Fischman
A J
AJ
D000328:Adult; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010296:Parietal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism*; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism*; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed