Brain dopamine is associated with eating behaviors in humans.
OBJECTIVE
Eating behavior in humans is influenced by variables other than just hunger-satiety including cognitive restraint, emotional distress, and sensitivity to food stimuli. We investigate the role of dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter involved with food motivation, in these variables.


METHODS
We used the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) to measure Restraint, Emotionality, and Externality in 10 subjects. We correlated DEBQ scores with brain DA levels. Positron emission tomography and [(11)C]raclopride uptake were used to measure baseline D(2) receptors (neutral stimulation) and to assess changes in extracellular DA to food stimulation (display of food).


RESULTS
Restraint was correlated with DA changes with food stimulation (higher restraint, greater responsivity), emotionality was negatively correlated with baseline D(2) receptors (higher emotionality, lower D(2) receptors), whereas externality was not. These correlations were significant in the dorsal but not in the ventral striatum.


CONCLUSIONS
These results provide evidence that DA in the dorsal striatum is involved with the restraint and emotionality components regulating eating behavior and that these two dimensions reflect different neurobiologic processes.
Volkow
Nora D
ND
Medical Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York 11973, USA. volkow@bnl.gov
Wang
Gene-Jack
GJ
Maynard
Laurence
L
Jayne
Millard
M
Fowler
Joanna S
JS
Zhu
Wei
W
Logan
Jean
J
Gatley
S John
SJ
Ding
Yu-Shin
YS
Wong
Christopher
C
Pappas
Naomi
N
D000328:Adult; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000378:metabolism*; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020891:Raclopride; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D020891:Raclopride; D004298:Dopamine