Killgore, W. D. S., & Yurgelun-Todd, D. A. (2005). Body mass predicts orbitofrontal activity during visual presentations of high-calorie foods. NeuroReport, 16
(8), 859–863. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001756-200505310-00016
From the research article’s abstract: “Little is known about the relationship between weight status and reward-related brain activity in normal weight humans. We correlated orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex activity as measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging with body mass index in 13 healthy, normal-weight adult women as they viewed images of high-calorie and low-calorie foods, and dining-related utensils. Body mass index correlated negatively with both cingulate and orbitofrontal activity during high-calorie viewing, negatively with orbitofrontal activity during low-calorie viewing, and positively with orbitofrontal activity during presentations of nonedible utensils. With greater body mass, activity was reduced in brain regions important for evaluating and modifying learned stimulus–reward associations, suggesting a relationship between weight status and responsiveness of the orbitofrontal cortex to rewarding food images.”