Horstmann Annette
Integrated Research and Treatment Center Adiposity Diseases, University of Leipzig, Philipp-Rosenthal-Straße 27, Leipzig, Germany; Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1A, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
Physiol Behav. 2017 Jul 1;176:125-133. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2017.04.001. Epub 2017 Apr 4.
Over the past years, evidence has accumulated that obesity is intimately linked to the integrity of the fronto-striatal system of the human brain. However, the nature and causality of this relationship remains elusive. The fronto-striatal system is responsible for higher order cognitive functions such as learning, working memory, decision-making and cognitive control. Further, it determines the individual propensity to actively seek out rewards in the environment or to avoid possibly punishing situations. One of the major neurotransmitters of this system is dopamine. Recently, we suggested that markers of obesity are linked to markers of the dopaminergic system in an inverted u-shaped manner, with profound differences between individuals with moderate and severe obesity. Cross-sectional observations of dopamine-associated functions such as general reward sensitivity and anticipation support this hypothesis. Because of the fundamental role of the dopaminergic system in cognitive domains such as learning, prediction formation, cognitive control, and working memory, obesity-associated changes in this system affect cognition beyond food contexts. Taken together, the reviewed literature suggest either a dynamic relationship between the dopaminergic system and markers of obesity during the development of obesity, possibly based on processes of neuroplasticity, or different endophenotypes in individuals with overweight/moderate obesity and severe obesity.
在过去几年里，越来越多的证据表明，肥胖与人类大脑额叶 - 纹状体系统的完整性密切相关。然而，这种关系的本质和因果关系仍然难以捉摸。额叶 - 纹状体系统负责诸如学习、工作记忆、决策和认知控制等高级认知功能。此外，它还决定了个体在环境中主动寻求奖励或避免可能的惩罚情境的倾向。该系统的主要神经递质之一是多巴胺。最近，我们提出肥胖标志物与多巴胺能系统标志物呈倒U形关联，中度肥胖和重度肥胖个体之间存在显著差异。对多巴胺相关功能（如一般奖励敏感性和预期）的横断面观察支持了这一假设。由于多巴胺能系统在学习、预测形成、认知控制和工作记忆等认知领域的基础作用，该系统中与肥胖相关的变化会影响食物情境之外的认知。综上所述，综述文献表明，在肥胖发展过程中，多巴胺能系统与肥胖标志物之间可能存在基于神经可塑性过程的动态关系，或者超重/中度肥胖个体和重度肥胖个体存在不同的内表型。
