| Sumario: | |WbObjective:[|WB] The mediating neuroanatomy of human appetitive function is poorly understood. A state induction paradigm was employed, in conjunction with positron emission tomography, to test the hypothesis that limbic/paralimbic regions respond to the desirability of food stimuli. |WbMethods:[|WB] Eight normal subjects were studied during each of three conditions, involving visual exposure to high-caloric food, low-caloric food, and nonfood stimuli. Subjective indices of hunger were measured via analog scales. |WbResults:[|WB] Planned contrasts demonstrated significant increases in desire to eat and decreases in left temporo-insular cortical blood flow during the high-caloric versus control conditions. |WbDiscussion:[|WB] Results implicate the temporo-insular cortex in normal appetitive function, suggesting that activity within this region is associated with the desirability or valence of food stimuli prior to ingestion. These data will provide a broad foundation for future studies of patients with eating disorders. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
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