Iozzo, P., Guiducci, L., Guzzardi, M. A., & Pagotto, U. (2012). Brain PET imaging in obesity and food addiction: current evidence and hypothesis. Obesity Facts, 5
(2), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1159/000338328
From the research article’s abstract: “The ongoing epidemics of obesity is one main health concern of the present time. Overeating in some obese individuals shares similarities with the loss of control and compulsive behavior observed in drug-addicted subjects, suggesting that obesity may involve food addiction. Here, we review the contributions provided by the use of positron emission tomography to the current understanding of the cerebral control of obesity and food intake in humans. The available studies have shown that multiple areas in the brain are involved with the reward properties of food, such as prefrontal, orbitofrontal, somatosensory cortices, insula, thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala, and others.