Reward mechanisms in individuals with obesity

We investigated the psychological and cerebral underpinnings of food reward mechanisms in patients with obesity. More specifically, we investigated 2 sub-components of food reward: i) the pleasure during food consumption (liking) and ii) efforts an individual is willing to invest to be delivered with food (wanting).

We presented healthy-weight participants and participants with obesity with solutions (such as a chocolate milkshake) while their brain activity was recorded. To do so, we used a gustometer, a device allowing the delivery of liquids in an extremely precise fashion, which is fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)-compatible.

Our goal was to understand how food reward mechanisms differ between healthy-weight individuals and individuals with obesity, but also how they differ between individuals with obesity following weight loss.