The prefrontal cortexes of adults with overweight and obesity appear to have selectively impaired brain insulin action, possibly causing a modified homeostatic set point and decreased control of overeating behaviors, according to recent findings.
Likewise, the hypothalamus of adults with high visceral adipose tissue may be impaired in terms of brain insulin action, according to the researchers.
To date, the central nervous effects of insulin in obese humans still remain ill-defined, and no study thus far has evaluated the specific brain areas affected by insulin resistance, the researchers wrote. We hypothesized that overweight and obese adults will show cerebral insulin resistance in regions associated with food intake and eating behavior.
In the study,Stephanie Kullman, PhD,of the University of Tbingen in Germany, and colleagues evaluated 25 healthy lean adults, 10 adults with overweight and 13 adults with obesity who were students at the University of Tbingen.
