Interactions between metabolic, cognitive and reward processes in appetite
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Birmingham
Department Name: School of Psychology
Abstract
Recent research has helped us understand the processes that lead us to prefer certain foods over others and the factors that influence how much we eat. We know that through experience we learn that some foods are very rewarding to eat and this learning influences our food choices. We also know that signals relating to the ingestion of food arising from the body (metabolic signals) modulate processes in the brain that are important for determining how much a food is desired. Food is less attractive when we have just eaten for this reason. Our food choices are also influenced by cognitive processes such as attention and memory, for example, when thinking about food we are likely to pay attention to food in the environment and may be more likely to eat. Although we know that metabolic signals and cognitive processes directly influence food reward we know very little about how these factors interact to affect eating. New evidence from our research team suggests that metabolic signals may affect food reward indirectly via modulation of higher cognitive functions. The aim of this research programme is to investigate this idea by examining the effects of specific metabolic signals on cognitive processes and food reward. This is a new approach to the study of food choice and the results will have implications for both theory and practice. Potential practical benefits will include the possibility of developing more effective interventions to help people control their food intake.
Technical Summary
The frequency and size of meals are influenced by activity in brain circuitry that processes nutritional state signals and food reward value. Thus, consumption of food is associated with reduced activity in reward circuitry and decreased incentive value of food, which is reflected in reduced responses to appetitive stimuli in reward-related brain areas. Eating is also influenced by higher cognitive functions such as attention and memory that also affect reward processing. Recent evidence from our laboratory suggests that metabolic signals related to nutritional signals may also have indirect effects on food reward via alterations in higher cognitive functions. We have pilot data showing that eating to fullness after a natural inter-meal interval is accompanied by increased activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), an area that is associated with attention, memory and cognitive control. These data suggest that the termination of a usual meal is associated with changes in cognitive control mechanisms that supress intake. We have also recently reported the novel finding that the 5-HT2C receptor agonist mCPP, which is known to reduce food intake, enhances memory. Our overarching aim is to test the hypothesis that metabolic signals have effects on specific higher cognitive control functions and that these effects are related to eating behaviours via changes in reward-related responding. We will conduct three large scale experimental studies assessing the effects of intranasal insulin (study 1) the serotonin 2C agonist mCPP (Study 2) and ghrelin (Study 3) on inhibitory control, attention, memory, eating behaviour and fMRI BOLD responses. In each study the effect of drug administration will be tested in both lean and obese participants.
Planned Impact
The results of this project will be of interest to industry, health professionals and policy makers as well as the general public. Economic and societal impacts include adding to the knowledge base on controls of eating that could later lead to improvements in health and well-being. Given the health costs associated with unhealthy eating patterns it is important to explore new avenues for improving the Nation's diet through developing comprehensive models of appetite control that open the way for thinking about new interventions and advice on nutrition. The idea that metabolic signals may affect appetite control via novel mechanisms will be of interest to both the food and pharmaceutical industry and the results could lay the groundwork for further testing of products aimed at enhancing appetite control. This will be facilitated by the involvement of the industrial partner P1vital. Wide dissemination of the results (see pathways to impact plan) will ensure that a range of stakeholders are reached and beneficiaries of this project are not be limited to those in the UK. Engagement with the public will enhance understanding of the complexities of appetite control and interactions with the public will be important for improving the quality of research and its impact. It will also ensure wide communication of the results and inspire the next generation of researchers. The work will also contribute to the development of a promising early career researcher. The named RF will be given the opportunity to develop further experimental skills and experience that will enable him to further establish himself as an up and coming research star.
Publications
Schneider E
(2022)
The effects of lisdexamfetamine dimesylate on eating behaviour and homeostatic, reward and cognitive processes in women with binge-eating symptoms: an experimental medicine study.
in Translational psychiatry
Schneider E
(2022)
The effect of intranasal insulin on appetite and mood in women with and without obesity: an experimental medicine study.
in International journal of obesity (2005)
Spetter MS
(2020)
Neural correlates of top-down guidance of attention to food: An fMRI study.
in Physiology & behavior
Parent MB
(2022)
Memory and eating: A bidirectional relationship implicated in obesity.
in Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
Schneider E
(2021)
Lisdexamfetamine and binge-eating disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the preclinical and clinical data with a focus on mechanism of drug action in treating the disorder.
in European neuropsychopharmacology : the journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology
Higgs S
(2023)
Is there a role for higher cognitive processes in the development of obesity in humans?
in Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences
Martin E
(2019)
Interoception and disordered eating: A systematic review.
in Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews
Higgs S
(2017)
Interactions between metabolic, reward and cognitive processes in appetite control: Implications for novel weight management therapies.
in Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
Spetter MS
(2018)
Current state of the use of neuroimaging techniques to understand and alter appetite control in humans.
in Current opinion in clinical nutrition and metabolic care
Higgs S
(2018)
Cognitive Control of Eating: the Role of Memory in Appetite and Weight Gain.
in Current obesity reports
Martin E
(2022)
Associations between inattention and impulsivity ADHD symptoms and disordered eating risk in a community sample of young adults.
in Psychological medicine
Description | We found that that intra-nasal insulin reduced food intake, appetite and food reward relative to placebo and these effects were more pronounced for women with obesity compared with lean women. IN insulin also improved mood in women with obesity. In both BMI groups, IN insulin increased neural activity in the insula when viewing food pictures. IN insulin did not affect cognitive function. These data demonstrate for the first time that women with obesity may be more sensitive to the beneficial effects of insulin on appetite and mood than lean women suggesting that further investigation of the therapeutic potential of IN insulin for weight management in women with obesity is warranted. We also found that there are responders and non-responders to the effects of the serotonin agonist mCPP on appetite and cognition. mCPP reduced palatable food intake and improved memory but only in a subset of participants who were distinguished by having higher depression scores than non-responders. These data suggest that the use of weight management drugs that act at the 5-HT2C receptor should be more effectively targeted in future. For the first time we examined the effects of an acute dose of the only drug approved currently for the treatment binge eating disorder (Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate; LDX) in women with binge-eating symptoms using our model. We found that LDX reduced appetite and intake of both a pasta meal and a palatable cookie snack and reduced neural activity in the thalamus. LDX also enhanced sustained attention and reduced impulsive responding. These results suggest the observed effects of LDX on food intake (and by implication the efficacy of LDX in treating binge eating disorder) may be related to the actions of the drug to enhance satiety, reduce food-related reward responding when full and/or increase cognitive control. These data suggest that new pharmacotherapies for BED are likely to be most effective if they have a broad spectrum of effects on appetite, reward and cognition. Overall the findings from this project have generated knowledge that will aid in the future development of drugs for weight management and binge eating disorder and have advanced understanding of the complex interplay between metabolic, reward and cognitive processes in appetite control. |
Exploitation Route | The results will inform the development of new pharmacological approaches to weight management and binge eating disorder. |
Sectors | Healthcare Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and disordered eating behaviour |
Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 1915105 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2017 |
End | 09/2022 |
Description | Member of BRAINFOOD cluster |
Organisation | European Brain Council |
Country | Belgium |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Contributed to policy makers meeting and policy related publications |
Collaborator Contribution | Provided funding for cluster and participation in meetings/publications |
Impact | Adan, R. A., Cirulli, F., Dye, L., Higgs, S., Aarts, K., van der Beek, E. M., ... & Dickson, S. L. Towards new nutritional policies for brain health: a research perspective on future actions. Brain, behavior, and immunity, S0889-1591. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | Member of European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Nutrition Network |
Organisation | European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Contribution to network meetings and publications |
Collaborator Contribution | Contribution to network meetings and publications and funding |
Impact | Adan, R. A., van der Beek, E. M., Buitelaar, J. K., Cryan, J. F., Hebebrand, J., Higgs, S., ... & Dickson, S. L. (2019). Nutritional psychiatry: Towards improving mental health by what you eat. European Neuropsychopharmacology, 29(12), 1321-1332. |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | P1vital |
Organisation | P1vital Consortium |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | We are working with the CEO of P1vital Colin Dourish on BBSRC project grant "Interactions between metabolic, cognitive and reward processes in appetite". |
Collaborator Contribution | Colin is a CI providing input on the research steering group and advising on experimental design, research governance, interpretation of data and report writing. He will also be involved in translating the results. |
Impact | 1. Higgs, S., & Spetter, M. S. (2018). Cognitive Control of Eating: the Role of Memory in Appetite and Weight Gain. Current obesity reports, 1-10. 2. Thomas, J. M., Dourish, C. T., Tomlinson, J., Hassan-Smith, Z., Hansen, P. C., & Higgs, S. (2018). The 5-HT 2C receptor agonist meta-chlorophenylpiperazine (mCPP) reduces palatable food consumption and BOLD fMRI responses to food images in healthy female volunteers. Psychopharmacology, 235(1), 257-267. 3. Higgs, S., Spetter, M. S., Thomas, J. M., Rotshtein, P., Lee, M., Hallschmid, M., & Dourish, C. T. (2017). Interactions between metabolic, reward and cognitive processes in appetite control: Implications for novel weight management therapies. Journal of Psychopharmacology, 31(11), 1460-1474. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Article in Psychology Today publication |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | An article in Psychology today discussed our research on cognitive processes and appetite and cited a review article we wrote: Higgs, S. & Spetter, M. S. Cognitive Control of Eating: the Role of Memory in Appetite and Weight Gain. Curr. Obes. Rep. 7, 50-59 (2018). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/hardwired-learn/201909/is-poor-memory-bad-your-waistline-1 |
Description | Association for Science Education presentation |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | I gave a presentation to School teachers as part of the Association for Science Education Annual Conference. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | ESRC estival of Science |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We had an evening event in a pub (The Botanist) as part of the ESRC Festival of Science where we engaged the public in presentations, quiz's, activities and Q and A about the psychology of eating. It was a ticketed event that was sold out. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Interview for a magazine |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I gave an interview for Proto Magazine |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://protomag.com/articles/how-poor-diet-shapes-brain |
Description | Invitation to workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Eating Disorders (ED) Research Workshop aimed to identify gaps in current ED research, priority questions and opportunities for future ED research and to understand how to facilitate stronger dialogue and collaborations with other related areas of research (e.g. conditions that are comorbid, or share common features/behaviours, with ED |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
URL | https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/new-collaborations-to-support-eating-disorders-research/ |
Description | Masterclass to schools |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | 120 pupils attended a masterclass at the research organisation which included discussion and questions and the evaluation reported increased interest in the research area and interest in studying at University |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Pint of Science |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Maartje Spetter (post doc) took part in the Pint of Science event in Birmingham in a pub/cafe in Birmingham to talk about our research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Podcast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Suzanne Higgs was interviewed about her research for the award winning water cooler neuroscience podcast |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://watercoolerneuroscience.co.uk/podcast/s1-ep4-suzanne-higgs-social-vs-personal-appetites |
Description | Postgraduate workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Weight management and appetite - a transferable skills workshop. Key note speaker. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Presentation at FoodMatters live event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Presentation on influences on eating behavior at a congress open to the public (FoodMatters live) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.foodmatterslive.com/ |
Description | School visit to talk about research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | I visited a school in Shropshire to talk to year 12 pupils about my research during an A level psychology class. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Talk to Warwick Psychology Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Suzanne Higgs gave a presentation at the Annual Conference of the University of Warwick Psychology Society. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | Talk to the BBSRC funded London Interdisciplinary Biosciences Consortium (LIDo) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Suzanne Higgs gave a presentation on psychology of appetite to the BBSRC London Interdisciplinary Biosciences Consortium (LIDo) Doctoral Training Partnership |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
Description | podcast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | We created podcasts of interviews with the lead researchers/students on the project |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://eatingbehaviourrg.wordpress.com/research-podcasts/ |