The role of odor imagery ability in human food cue reactivity and obesity risk

气味意象能力在人类食物线索反应和肥胖风险中的作用

• 批准号: 10386043
• 负责人: Emily E Looney
• 金额: $ 4.47万
• 依托单位: YALE UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-02-01 至 2024-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10386043
• 关键词: role; odor; imagery; ability; human

PROJECT SUMMARY The modern rise in obesity rates coincides with the increased advertising and availability of palatable foods. Conditioned responses to these ubiquitous food cues, such as craving or brain activity, are known collectively as food cue reactivity (FCR). Individual differences in FCR strength are associated with obesity (defined by Body Mass Index or BMI) and predict food intake and weight change. However, it is unclear why some individuals have stronger FCR than others. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that odor imagery ability is one factor that drives FCR strength, which in turn promotes risk for overeating and weight gain. Rationale for this hypothesis stems from a prominent theory that mental imagery is highly involved in the generation of craving. There is also greater variation in the ability to imagine odors compared to visual objects and scenes, and a preliminary study showed that this variation in odor imagery ability is positively correlated with BMI. However, odor imagery ability in that study was measured with a self-report questionnaire, and it is poorly understood how well this subjective measure maps onto actual ability. In addition, whether odor imagery ability influences feeding and weight gain is unknown. Guided by these strong preliminary data and critical gaps in knowledge, the current proposal will quantify odor imagery ability in two objective ways: (1) psychophysically, as the interference effect by which imagining the smell of one odor impairs the actual detection of another at a weak concentration; and (2) neurally, as the decoding accuracy with which brain patterns generated while smelling real odors can predict those while imagining odors and vice versa. Measures of FCR will include cue-induced craving and brain response to food cues. Ultimately, the specific aims include testing if objective odor imagery ability correlates with (1) self-reported ability and BMI, (2) FCR, and (3) cue-potentiated feeding or weight change over 12 months. These aims will elucidate how odor imagery contributes to FCR and obesity risk. If the hypothesis is supported, then odor imagery ability will serve as a new target to reduce FCR in susceptible individuals. The project will be conducted in Dr. Dana Small’s laboratory located at Yale University and affiliated with Yale’s Interdepartmental Neuroscience Program (INP) and the Modern Diet and Physiology Research Center (MDPRC). This environment will provide training in unique research skills, such as mastering the use of Dr. Small’s olfactometer to deliver odors during neuroimaging and performing advanced analyses on high-performance computing clusters. A collaboration with Dr. Hedy Kober will refine the applicant’s skillset in machine learning techniques. Involvement in the MDPRC – which is a small and collaborative group focused on understanding the impact of diet on health and brain function – will facilitate frequent exposure to new research in the field and the ability to network and improve presentation skills. Yale’s INP will foster further opportunities for career development through participation in talks, seminars, journal clubs, teaching, mentoring, and outreach. This fellowship training plan will prepare the applicant for a successful career as an independent scientist studying sensory systems, ingestive behavior, and obesity.

项目摘要 现代肥胖率的上升与可口食品的广告和供应的增加相吻合。 对这些无处不在的食物线索的条件反应，如渴望或大脑活动，被统称为 Food cue reactivity（FCR）FCR强度的个体差异与肥胖相关（由身体定义） 质量指数或BMI），并预测食物摄入量和体重变化。然而，目前尚不清楚为什么有些人 FCR比其他人强。这个建议的中心假设是气味想象能力是一个因素 这驱动了FCR强度，这反过来又增加了暴饮暴食和体重增加的风险。该假设的依据 源于一个著名的理论，即心理意象与渴望的产生密切相关。还有 与视觉物体和场景相比，想象气味的能力变化更大， 研究表明，这种气味想象能力的变化与BMI呈正相关。然而，气味想象能力 在这项研究中，是用一份自我报告的问卷来衡量的，人们对这种主观的 衡量地图上的实际能力。此外，气味想象能力是否影响进食和体重增加 不明在这些强有力的初步数据和关键的知识空白的指导下，目前的提案将 通过两种客观的方式量化气味想象能力：（1）心理上，作为干扰效应， 想象一种气味的气味损害了对另一种气味在弱浓度下的实际检测;以及（2）神经上， 因为当闻到真实的气味时，大脑产生的解码模式可以准确地预测那些气味， 想象气味，反之亦然。FCR的测量将包括线索诱导的渴望和大脑对食物的反应 线索最终，具体目标包括测试客观气味意象能力是否与（1）自我报告的 能力和BMI，（2）FCR，和（3）提示增强喂养或体重变化超过12个月。这些目标将 阐明气味意象如何有助于FCR和肥胖风险。如果假设成立，那么气味意象 能力将作为降低易感个体FCR的新靶点。该项目将在博士。 达纳·斯莫尔的实验室位于耶鲁大学，隶属于耶鲁大学跨部门神经科学研究所。 现代饮食和生理学研究中心（MDPRC）。这种环境将提供 培训独特的研究技能，如掌握使用博士小的嗅觉仪提供气味， 神经成像和在高性能计算集群上执行高级分析。合作与 博士Hedy Kober将完善申请人在机器学习技术方面的技能。参与MDPRC - 这是一个小型的合作小组，专注于了解饮食对健康和大脑功能的影响， - 将有助于经常接触该领域的新研究，并能够建立网络和改进演示文稿 skills.耶鲁大学的INP将通过参加讲座，研讨会， 期刊俱乐部、教学、指导和推广。本研究金培训计划将为申请人准备一个 成功的职业生涯作为一个独立的科学家研究感觉系统，摄食行为和肥胖。