Individual Differences in Nucleus Accumbens Activity to Food and Sexual Images Predict Weight Gain and Sexual Behavior
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Study at a glance
- Area
- Other research
- Study type
- Observational study
- Authors
- Demos KE, Heatherton TF, Kelley WM
- Journal
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Year
- 2012
- Participants
- 58 first-year female college students (ages 18-19); 48 at 6-month follow-up
- Population
- Adults
- Protocol
- fMRI cue-reactivity task (food, sexual and other images)
Key findings
- Nucleus accumbens activity to food images predicted weight gain 6 months later
- Nucleus accumbens activity to sexual images predicted sexual activity at follow-up
- 48 of 58 participants completed the 6-month follow-up
- Authors propose a common neural mechanism behind appetitive behaviors
This fMRI study asked whether the strength of the brain's reward response to tempting images predicts later real-world behavior. First-year female college students were weighed and then scanned while viewing pictures that included food and erotic scenes; six months later, 48 returned to be weighed again and report on their sexual activity. Nucleus accumbens responses to food images predicted weight gain, and responses to sexual images predicted sexual activity. The authors conclude that heightened cue reactivity is tied to indulging in the matching behavior, suggesting a shared mechanism for appetitive behaviors.