Neural correlates of appetite and hunger-related evaluative judgments.
How much we desire a meal depends on both the constituent foods and how hungry we are, though not every meal becomes more desirable with increasing hunger. The brain therefore needs to be able to integrate hunger and meal properties to compute the correct incentive value of a meal. The present study investigated the functional role of the amygdala and the orbitofrontal cortex in mediating hunger and dish attractiveness. Furthermore, it explored neural responses to dish descriptions particularly susceptible to value-increase following fasting. We instructed participants to rate how much they wanted food menu items while they were either hungry or sated, and compared the rating differences in these states. Our results point to the representation of food value in the amygdala, and to an integration of attractiveness with hunger level in the orbitofrontal cortex. Dishes particularly desirable during hunger activated the thalamus and the insula. Our results specify the functions of evaluative structures in the context of food attractiveness, and point to a complex neural representation of dish qualities which contribute to state-dependent value.
Piech
Richard M
RM
School of Psychology, Bangor University, Bangor, UK. r.piech@vanderbilt.edu
Lewis
Jade
J
Parkinson
Caroline H
CH
Owen
Adrian M
AM
Roberts
Angela C
AC
Downing
Paul E
PE
Parkinson
John A
JA
D000328:Adult; D001066:Appetite; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male