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

项目总结 现代肥胖率的上升与美味食品广告和供应的增加不谋而合。 对这些无处不在的食物暗示的条件性反应，如渴望或大脑活动，统称为已知 作为食物提示反应性(FCR)。FCR强度的个体差异与肥胖(由身体定义 体重指数或BMI)，并预测食物摄入量和体重变化。然而，目前还不清楚为什么有些人 拥有比其他人更强的FCR。这一提议的中心假设是气味想象能力是一个因素 这会增加FCR的强度，进而增加暴饮暴食和体重增加的风险。这一假设的理论基础 源于一个突出的理论，即心理意象与渴望的产生密切相关。还有就是 与视觉物体和场景相比，想象气味的能力有更大的差异，以及一项初步研究 表明气味表象能力的这种变化与BMI呈正相关。然而，气味想象能力 在那项研究中是用自我报告问卷来衡量的，人们很难理解这种主观性有多好 根据实际能力来衡量地图。此外，气味想象能力是否会影响进食和体重增加 是未知的。在这些强有力的初步数据和知识方面的关键差距的指导下，目前的提案将 用两种客观的方法来量化气味想象能力：(1)心理生理上，如通过以下方式产生的干扰效应 想象一种气味的气味会在弱浓度下损害对另一种气味的实际检测；以及(2)从神经上讲， 因为大脑在闻到真实气味时产生的模式的解码精度可以预测到 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 暗示。归根结底，具体目标包括测试客观气味想象能力是否与(1)自我报告相关 能力和体重指数，(2)FCR，和(3)线索强化喂养或12个月的体重变化。这些目标将 阐明气味想象是如何影响FCR和肥胖风险的。如果假说得到支持，那么气味图像 能力将成为降低易感人群FCR的新目标。该项目将在Dr。 达娜·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 现代饮食和生理学研究中心(MDPRC)。此环境将提供 培训独特的研究技能，例如掌握使用斯莫尔博士的嗅觉仪在 神经成像和对高性能计算集群执行高级分析。与以下公司合作 海蒂·科伯博士将完善申请者在机器学习技术方面的技能。参与MDPRC- 这是一个小型协作小组，专注于了解饮食对健康和大脑功能的影响 -将促进经常接触该领域的新研究以及建立网络和改进陈述的能力 技能。耶鲁的INP将通过参加讲座、研讨会、 杂志俱乐部、教学、指导和外展。这项奖学金培训计划将使申请者为 作为一名研究感觉系统、摄食行为和肥胖的独立科学家，他的职业生涯很成功。

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.