Relationship of estrogen synthesis capacity in the brain with obesity and self-control in men and women.
Anat BiegonNelly Alia-KleinDavid L AlexoffJoanna S FowlerSung Won KimJean LoganDeborah ParetoRebecca Preston-CampbellGene-Jack WangTom HildebrandtPublished in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2020)
Gonadal hormones are linked to mechanisms that govern appetitive behavior and its suppression. Estrogens are synthesized from androgens by the enzyme aromatase, highly expressed in the ovaries of reproductive-aged women and in the brains of men and women of all ages. We measured aromatase availability in the amygdala using positron emission tomography (PET) with the aromatase inhibitor [11C]vorozole in a sample of 43 adult, normal-weight, overweight, or obese men and women. A subsample of 27 also completed personality measures to examine the relationship between aromatase and personality traits related to self-regulation and inhibitory control. Results indicated that aromatase availability in the amygdala was negatively associated with body mass index (BMI) (in kilograms per square meter) and positively correlated with scores of the personality trait constraint independent of sex or age. Individual variations in the brain's capacity to synthesize estrogen may influence the risk of obesity and self-control in men and women.
Keyphrases
- weight gain
- weight loss
- positron emission tomography
- body mass index
- resting state
- computed tomography
- functional connectivity
- metabolic syndrome
- type diabetes
- insulin resistance
- bariatric surgery
- physical activity
- pet ct
- white matter
- pet imaging
- adipose tissue
- estrogen receptor
- multiple sclerosis
- polycystic ovary syndrome
- high fat diet induced
- skeletal muscle
- cerebral ischemia
- dna methylation
- young adults
- pregnancy outcomes
- genome wide
- obese patients
- genome wide association