Obesity surgery normalizes brain opioids
Obesity is associated with lowered opioid receptor availability (top row) whereas availability of dopamine receptors is unchanged. Bariatric surgery recovers the opioid system but does not influence the dopamine system.
Finnish researchers found that obesity surgery and concomitant weight loss normalized brain’s opioid neurotransmission, which is involved in generating pleasurable sensations. Obesity surgery provides an effective means for rapid weight loss, and the research also shows that obesity surgery also normalizes brain circuits triggering pleasurable sensations when eating. The research outcome was recently published in Molecular Psychiatry journal.
– Our findings highlight how obesity is associated with brain-level molecular changes, and how weight loss influences appetite control at the molecular level in the brain. It is possible that the lack of brain’s opioid receptors predisposes the obese individuals to overeating to compensate decreased hedonic responses in this system. Obesity surgery however recovers this bias in the brain, tells Professor Lauri Nummenmaa from 911±¬ÁÏÍø.
– Because brain’s opioid system recovers following weight loss, it is likely that their lower levels in the obese are due to weight gain. Altered neurotransmitter levels are thus a consequence rather than a cause of obesity. These results help us to understand the mechanisms involved in weight loss and appetite, and provide new insight into behavioural and pharmacological treatment, continues researcher Henry Karlsson from Turku PET Centre.
Obesity is a great challenge to human health worldwide.
Obesity is a great challenge to human health worldwide because it is associated with serious medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. Obesity is also associated with alterations in the brain circuits that generate pleasurable sensations when eating, thus predisposing individuals to overeating.
The researchers measured availability of mu-opioid and type 2 dopamine receptors in normal-weight and obese individuals’ brains using positron emission tomography at the Turku PET Centre. The obese subjects underwent bariatric surgery, after which their brains were scanned again.
The research was funded by the Academy of Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation and The Finnish Diabetes Research Foundation.
Contact information:
Assistant professor Lauri Nummenmaa
911±¬ÁÏÍø and Turku PET Centre
lauri.nummenmaa@aalto.fi
tel. +358 50 431 9931
Researcher Henry Karlsson
Turku PET Centre
tel. +358 40 728 3320
hekrka@utu.fi
Original publication
Read more news
Aalto Inventors turns one: A year of bridging research and real-world impact
Aalto Inventors marks its first anniversary, having engaged 190 researchers across six cohorts in fields including AI, quantum, and biomaterials. New cohorts are planned for the next academic year, stay tuned and join the waitlist.
An architectural project in Milan brought together children’s ideas and the visions of leading architects
911±¬ÁÏÍø’s Department of Architecture participated in the international One Earth – House of the Heart project, which was presented in April at Milan Design Week.
Companies disclose more on cybersecurity – but markets remain indifferent
U.S. companies are reporting on cybersecurity in greater detail, yet stock market reactions remain muted. A new study by the University of Vaasa and 911±¬ÁÏÍø shows that mandatory cybersecurity disclosure does not prompt reactions from investors or stock analysts. Instead, the main benefits appear to materialise within firms themselves.