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Emotional eating and in vivo norepinephrine transporter availability in obesity: A [ 11 C]MRB PET pilot study
Author(s) -
Bresch A.,
Rullmann M.,
Luthardt J.,
Becker G.A.,
Reissig G.,
Patt M.,
Ding Y.S.,
Hilbert A.,
Sabri O.,
Hesse S.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.22621
Subject(s) - norepinephrine transporter , obesity , body mass index , endocrinology , dopamine transporter , psychology , medicine , norepinephrine , in vivo , binding potential , positron emission tomography , neuroscience , biology , dopamine , genetics , dopaminergic
Objective Emotional eating (EE) has been linked to norepinephrine dysfunction. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between EE and norepinephrine transporter (NET) availability. Method Ten severely obese individuals (body mass index (BMI) 42.4 ± 3.7 kg/m 2 ) and ten non‐obese, healthy controls (BMI 23.9 ± 2.5 kg/m 2 ) matched for age and sex were studied using ( S,S )‐[ 11 C]‐ O ‐methylreboxetine ([ 11 C]MRB) positron emission tomography (PET). Kinetic modeling of regional tissue time activity curves was performed using multilinear reference tissue model 2 (MRTM2, with the occipital cortex as a reference region) to estimate binding potential based on individual PET‐MR coregistration. To test for associations of EE and NET availability, participants completed the EE subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire before scanning. Results Obese individuals and non‐obese, healthy controls did not significantly differ regarding EE scores and regional NET availability. For obese individuals only, correlative data analyses pointed to a sinoidal distribution pattern as a higher degree of EE related to lower NET availability in the locus coeruleus and to higher NET availability in the left thalamus. Discussion These results indicate that central in vivo NET availability is altered in EE of individuals with obesity. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.(Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50:152–156)