Sensitization of the reinforcing value of food as a predictor of weight change in adolescents

 描述(申请人提供)：青春期的大脑被驱使去寻找新的增强剂，但大脑中涉及冲动控制和执行功能的区域直到成年早期才变得不成熟。这可能会使青少年特别容易暴饮暴食和体重增加。进食动机，或强化价值，是能量消耗和肥胖的有力预测因素。了解导致更高水平的食品强化价值的因素是开发新的治疗和预防的关键第一步 针对肥胖的策略。我们之前的工作表明，反复摄入薯片和巧克力糖等零食会降低非肥胖成年人对这种零食的强化价值，但会增加一部分肥胖成年人对这种零食的强化价值。到目前为止，这种关系已经在横断面研究中得到证明。此外，我们在本申请中提供的初步数据表明，增加对更健康零食(能量密度和1.5千卡/克)反应的人比那些在重复给药后降低对这些食物反应的人体重更轻。这表明，食物增强价值的敏感化可能是肥胖的风险因素，也可能是预防肥胖的保护因素，具体取决于所消费的食物类型。另一个保护因素可能是体育锻炼具有很高的强化价值。研究表明，那些认为体育锻炼非常有益的人体重会更轻。最后，我们和其他人的工作表明，那些高强化食物价值和高延迟折扣的人可能面临更大的体重增加风险。这项拟议的研究的目的是：1)确定高能量密度休闲食品的强化值增加是否会随着时间的推移而预测体重增加。2)确定增加低能量密度零食的增强值是否可以防止随着时间的推移体重增加3)确定体育活动的增强值和/或延迟折扣是否缓和了食物增强值对青少年体重变化的敏感化之间的关系。这些研究将使我们不仅能够确定食物强化价值敏化的与体重相关的后果，而且还可以确定与食物强化价值有关的因素，这些因素可以缓和体重随时间的变化。一旦这些因素被识别和表征，未来的研究可能会集中在改进方法，以改变食物的强化价值，作为增加健康饮食和减少不太健康的食物摄入量的一种方式。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The adolescent brain is driven to seek out novel reinforcers, but the areas of the brain involved in impulse control and executive function remain immature until early adulthood. This may make adolescents particularly susceptible to overeating and weight gain. Motivation to eat, or reinforcing value, is a strong predictor of energy consumption and adiposity. Understanding factors that lead to higher levels of the reinforcing value of food is a critical first step toward developing novel treatment and prevention strategies for obesity. Our previous work has shown that repeated intake of snack foods, such as potato chips and chocolate candy, decreases the reinforcing value of that snack food in non-obese adults, but increases the reinforcing value of that snack food in a subset of obese adults. To date, this relationship has been demonstrated in cross-sectional studies. In addition, our preliminary data, presented in this application, suggest that individuals who increase responses for healthier snack foods (energy density <1.5 kcal/gram) weigh less than those who decrease responses for these foods after repeated administration. This suggests that sensitization of the reinforcing value of food may be a risk or a protective factor against obesity depending on the type of food being consumed. Another protective factor may be having a high reinforcing value of physical activity. Studies have shown that individuals who find physical activity very reinforcing weigh less. Finally, our work and that of others suggests that individuals who are high in reinforcing value of food and high in delay discounting may be at greater risk for weight gain. The purpose of the proposed study is to 1) determine if increases in the reinforcing value of high energy density snack foods predict weight gain over time. 2) Determine if increases in the reinforcing value of low energy density snacks protects against weight gain over time 3) to determine if reinforcing value of physical activity and/or delay discounting moderate the relationship between sensitization of the reinforcing value of food on weight change in adolescents. These studies will allow us not only to determine the weight-related consequences of sensitization of the reinforcing value of food, but also to identify factors that moderate changes in body weight over time as they relate to the reinforcing value of food. Once these factors are identified and characterized, future studies could focus on refining methods for altering the reinforcing value of food as a way to increase healthy eating and decrease less healthy food intake.