Neural, hormonal and behavioral mechanisms of long-term weight maintenance

• Applicant: Professor Dr. John-Dylan Haynes
• Subject Area: Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine ; Endocrinology, Diabetology, Metabolism
• Term: from 2012 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 101434729

• Final Report Year: 2019

Final Report Abstract

In this project, we have evaluated the link between brain activity or behavioural parameters acquired with two functional paradigms (food cue-reactivity and delay discounting) and body mass changes in (initially) obese patients assessed across a time period of 39 month. By using the functional paradigms, which are also applied in research on substance-related disorders, we have found that BMI changes are related to activity in neural networks that largely overlap in terms of spatial location and function with networks involved in substance-related disorders. This overlap suggests, that shared biological systems underlie the maintenance of the diseases. These findings can be utilized in therapeutic approaches applied to treat obesity.

Publications

• Role of neural impulse control mechanisms for dietary success in obesity. NeuroImage. 2013; 83: 669 - 678
  Weygandt M, Mai K, Dommes E, Leupelt V, Hackmack K, Kahnt T, Rothemund Y, Spranger J, Haynes JD
  
• DLPFC impulse control counteracts a yo-yo effect in post-diet weight maintenance. NeuroImage. 2015; 109: 318 – 327
  Weygandt M, Mai K, Dommes E, Hackmack K, Leupelt V, Spranger J, Haynes JD