title: Sibutramine promotes amygdala activity under fasting conditions in obese women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sibutramine, a centrally-acting selective monoamine reuptake inhibitor, has been used as an appetite suppressant drug in obesity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To gain insight into the central nervous actions of sibutramine, brain responses to pictures of food items after sibutramine vs placebo application were assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in obese women.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a randomized double-blind crossover design, 10 healthy obese women (BMI 31.8-39.9 kg/m(2)) received 15 mg/d of sibutramine vs placebo for 14 d. Obese participants, and a group of 10 age-matched normal weight controls, viewed pictures of food items and control objects in hungry and satiated states while lying in the MR scanner. The paradigm followed a block design. In obese participants, fMRI measurements were conducted prior and after two weeks of daily sibutramine or placebo administration, whereas control participants were scanned only at one point in time.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Upon food item presentation, obese participants showed increased brain activity in areas related to emotional and reward processing, perceptual processing, and cognitive control as compared to normal weight controls. Sibutramine exerted a divergent satiety-dependent effect on amygdala activity in obese participants, increasing activity in the hungry state while decreasing it under conditions of satiation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate a modulatory influence of sibutramine on amygdala activity in obese women which may underlie the appetite suppressant effects of the drug.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Luebeck, Ratzeburger Allee 160, 23538, Luebeck, Germany. Oltmanns@uni-luebeck.de
authors.forename: Kerstin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Oltmanns
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heldmann
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Daul
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klose
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rotte
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Hans-Jochen
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Heinze
authors.forename: Thomas F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Münte
authors.forename: Hendrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lehnert
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001067:Appetite Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D003503:Cyclobutanes / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012201:Reward; D012527:Satiation; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001067:Appetite Depressants; D003503:Cyclobutanes; C058254:sibutramine