Pursey, K. M., Contreras-Rodriguez, O., Collins, C. E., Stanwell, P., & Burrows, T. L. (2019). Food Addiction Symptoms and Amygdala Response in Fasted and Fed States. Nutrients, 11
(6), 1285. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061285
From the research article’s abstract: “Few studies have investigated the underlying neural substrates of food addiction (FA) in humans using a recognised assessment tool. In addition, no studies have investigated subregions of the amygdala (basolateral (BLA) and central amygdala), which have been linked to reward-seeking behaviours, susceptibility to weight gain, and promoting appetitive behaviours, in the context of FA. This pilot study aimed to explore the association between FA symptoms and activation in the BLA and central amygdala via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in response to visual food cues in fasted and fed states. Females (n = 12) aged 18–35 years completed two fMRI scans (fasted and fed) while viewing high-calorie food images and low-calorie food images. Food addiction symptoms were assessed using the Yale Food Addiction Scale.