TY - JOUR

T1 - Obesity is associated with high serotonin 4 receptor availability in the brain reward circuitry

AU - Haahr,M. E.

AU - Rasmussen,Peter Mondrup

AU - Madsen,K.

AU - Marner,L.

AU - Ratner,C.

AU - Gillings,N.

AU - Baaré,W. F. C.

AU - Knudsen,G. M.

PY - 2012

Y1 - 2012

N2 - The neurobiology underlying obesity is not fully understood. The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) is established as a satiety-generating signal, but its rewarding role in feeding is less well elucidated. From animal experiments there is now evidence that the 5-HT4 receptor (5-HT4R) is involved in food intake, and that pharmacological or genetic manipulation of the receptor in reward-related brain areas alters food intake.Here, we used positron emission tomography in humans to examine the association between cerebral 5-HT4Rs and common obesity.We found in humans a strong positive association between body mass index and the 5-HT4R density bilaterally in the two reward ‘hot spots’ nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum, and additionally in the left hippocampal region and orbitofrontal cortex.These findings suggest that the 5-HT4R is critically involved in reward circuits that regulate people's food intake. They also suggest that pharmacological stimulation of the cerebral 5-HT4R may reduce reward-related overeating in humans.

AB - The neurobiology underlying obesity is not fully understood. The neurotransmitter serotonin (5-HT) is established as a satiety-generating signal, but its rewarding role in feeding is less well elucidated. From animal experiments there is now evidence that the 5-HT4 receptor (5-HT4R) is involved in food intake, and that pharmacological or genetic manipulation of the receptor in reward-related brain areas alters food intake.Here, we used positron emission tomography in humans to examine the association between cerebral 5-HT4Rs and common obesity.We found in humans a strong positive association between body mass index and the 5-HT4R density bilaterally in the two reward ‘hot spots’ nucleus accumbens and ventral pallidum, and additionally in the left hippocampal region and orbitofrontal cortex.These findings suggest that the 5-HT4R is critically involved in reward circuits that regulate people's food intake. They also suggest that pharmacological stimulation of the cerebral 5-HT4R may reduce reward-related overeating in humans.

KW - PET

KW - Serotonin 4 receptor

KW - Neuroimaging

KW - Obesity

KW - Reward

U2 - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.03.050

DO - 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2012.03.050

M3 - Journal article

VL - 61

SP - 884

EP - 888

JO - NeuroImage

T2 - NeuroImage

JF - NeuroImage

SN - 1053-8119

IS - 4

ER -