Functional MRI Study on Food Intake Regulation in Healthy Subjects

Overseen By Megan Schaefer

Age: 18 - 65

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Mayo Clinic

Must not be taking: Appetite-altering medications

Disqualifiers: Obesity, Eating disorders, Substance abuse, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 4 weeks

15 Participants Needed

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial investigates how gut hormones and certain brain areas respond to different types of food intake, such as eating a tasty meal (a "Hedonic Meal"), consuming flavorless calories, or feeling full from stomach stretching. The researchers aim to understand how these responses affect appetite. Participants will eat a specific meal and undergo a brain scan to observe the effects. Ideal candidates are healthy individuals with a stable weight who can perform light to moderate physical activities and meet specific health criteria, such as having no history of eating disorders or allergies to the meals. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to contribute to the scientific understanding of appetite regulation.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

If you are taking any medication or supplement that alters appetite, you will need to stop taking it to participate in this study.

What prior data suggests that this protocol is safe?

Research has shown that using a tasty meal in studies is generally safe. Studies employing brain scans to explore appetite control primarily examine how the brain reacts to different foods. These studies have reported no major safety issues. The focus lies in understanding how the brain and stomach interact during eating, rather than testing a risky treatment. As the research observes natural responses to food, participants typically tolerate it well. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about this trial because it explores how our brains respond to food by using advanced imaging techniques like functional MRI. Unlike traditional methods that focus on observing physical changes in the body after eating, this study dives into the brain's activity, particularly the hedonic (pleasure) response to meals. This could lead to a better understanding of how our brain regulates food intake and potentially open up new ways to address issues like overeating or obesity. By pinpointing how different stimuli affect brain function, scientists hope to uncover insights that could inform future treatments or interventions in the realm of food intake and nutrition.

What evidence suggests that this trial's treatments could be effective?

Research shows that the brain's reaction to food is controlled by two main systems: one managing the body's energy needs and another dealing with pleasure and reward. These systems work together to regulate appetite and food intake. In this trial, participants will undergo Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (pCASL-MRI) after consuming a caloric and volumetric stimulus, such as a hedonic meal. Studies using brain scans suggest that enjoyable and tasty meals activate brain areas linked to reward and cravings. This activation can increase the desire to eat, even without hunger. Understanding this connection might explain why people sometimes eat for pleasure instead of hunger. ^{1 2 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Andres Acosta

Principal Investigator

Mayo Clinic

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for healthy adults with a BMI of 18-25, stable weight for the past 3 months, and able to do light to moderate exercise. Women must be in the first half of their menstrual cycle. Exclusions include MRI contraindications, obesity history, claustrophobia, high-intensity athletes, intragastric balloon issues, food allergies or eating disorders, substance abuse including tobacco/alcohol use, psychiatric conditions or significant medical comorbidities.

Inclusion Criteria

Weight stable for 3 months prior to study entry

BMI 18-25 kg/m^2

Able to provide written informed consent prior to any study procedures and be willing and able to follow study procedures

Exclusion Criteria

Any history of psychiatric disorders

Pregnancy or nursing

Any allergies to the study meals

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants undergo functional MRI after caloric and volumetric stimulus to study hormonal and neural responses

4 weeks

Multiple visits for MRI and hormone level assessments

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in caloric consumption, hormone levels, and cerebral blood flow

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• Hedonic Meal

Trial Overview

The study examines how gut hormones and brain responses differ when presented with gastric distention from an intragastric balloon versus tasteless calories versus enjoyable food using functional MRI scans to see how these factors affect hunger and appetite.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Food-Print Main Arm Experimental Treatment 4 Interventions

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (pCASL-MRI) after Caloric and Volumetric stimulus in lean patients will be performed on all patients in the study

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Mayo Clinic

Lead Sponsor

Trials

3,427

Recruited

3,221,000+

Published Research Related to This Trial

Hedonic-motivated food intake, especially of highly rewarding foods, can disrupt the body's natural signals for hunger and fullness, leading to overeating and obesity.

Neuroimaging studies reveal that specific brain regions are involved in processing the pleasure of food, and these responses can vary based on factors like obesity, weight changes, and metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Brain-based etiology of weight regulation. Burger, KS., Shearrer, GE., Sanders, AJ.[2022]

Functional MRI (fMRI) has advanced our understanding of how the brain integrates sensory inputs related to food, revealing how taste, aroma, and fat are processed in relation to appetite and food pleasantness.

Recent studies using fMRI have shown that hormonal influences, such as peptide YY and ghrelin, significantly affect brain responses related to appetite, highlighting the complex regulatory mechanisms behind food intake.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Imaging methodologies and applications for nutrition research: what can functional MRI offer? Francis, ST., Eldeghaidy, S.[2015]

Functional neuroimaging techniques like PET and fMRI have begun to reveal how the human brain responds to hunger, taste, and fullness, providing insights into the neurophysiological mechanisms behind eating behaviors.

Studies show that there are distinct differences in brain function between obese and lean individuals, highlighting the complexity of obesity and suggesting that neuroimaging could be crucial for understanding and treating eating disorders.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Functional neuroimaging: a new generation of human brain studies in obesity research. Tataranni, PA., DelParigi, A.[2019]

Neuroimaging techniques like fMRI help identify brain areas involved in food-related mental processes such as desire and satiety, which is crucial for understanding how we make decisions about eating.

By mapping these neural circuits, researchers can explore how hormonal and metabolic signals influence our psychological responses to food, potentially guiding better strategies for managing food intake.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Neuroimaging the interaction of mind and metabolism in humans. D'Agostino, AE., Small, DM.[2023]

In a study using fMRI with 13 healthy normal-weight women, viewing high-calorie foods activated more brain regions, including the medial and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, compared to low-calorie foods, indicating a stronger motivational response to high-calorie options.

The amygdala showed activation for both food categories, suggesting it responds to food as a biologically relevant stimulus, while the ventromedial prefrontal cortex activation varied based on the perceived reward value of the food, highlighting the complexity of neural responses to different types of food.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Cortical and limbic activation during viewing of high- versus low-calorie foods. Killgore, WD., Young, AD., Femia, LA., et al.[2019]

In a study involving 36 children aged 7-10, fMRI results showed that larger food portions activated the right inferior frontal gyrus, a brain area linked to inhibitory control, suggesting a potential reason why children may overeat when faced with larger portions.

The study also found that high energy-dense foods led to reduced activation in the left hypothalamus, but these effects were not significant after accounting for children's perceived fullness and food liking, indicating that subjective feelings may play a crucial role in food intake behavior.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Brain regions implicated in inhibitory control and appetite regulation are activated in response to food portion size and energy density in children. English, LK., Fearnbach, SN., Lasschuijt, M., et al.[2018]

This study is the first to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to explore the neuroanatomy of food craving, revealing that specific brain areas (hippocampus, insula, and caudate) are activated during cravings for favorite foods.

The research indicates that food cravings can be influenced by dietary manipulation, as participants reported increased cravings when on a monotonous diet, supporting the idea that food and drug cravings may share similar brain mechanisms.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Images of desire: food-craving activation during fMRI. Pelchat, ML., Johnson, A., Chan, R., et al.[2013]

In a study involving 12 healthy male participants, brain activity was significantly enhanced in areas related to visual processing and decision-making during hunger, indicating that hunger alters how the brain responds to food-related images.

The research found that both hunger and satiety states influence brain activation patterns differently when exposed to food versus nonfood images, suggesting that these states have specific effects on how the brain processes visual stimuli.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Brain activity in hunger and satiety: an exploratory visually stimulated FMRI study. Führer, D., Zysset, S., Stumvoll, M.[2008]

Recent advances in neuroimaging techniques like fMRI and PET have allowed researchers to study how food influences brain reward systems, revealing that both hedonistic and homeostatic drives affect eating behavior.

Hormones such as leptin, peptide YY3-36, and ghrelin play significant roles in modulating brain activity related to food rewards, which could inform the development of new treatments for obesity and eating disorders.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Gaining new insights into food reward with functional neuroimaging. Neary, MT., Batterham, RL.[2021]

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