Translating Neuroscience to Population Health

The current study will examine the relationship between brain responses and a guided imagery exercise in overweight and obese individuals. Results of this work are highly relevant to public health because they employ neuroimaging methods to understand food decision-making. Findings from this study will inform health decision making and holds great potential for future translation across multiple health behaviors and scalable interventions to impact population health

Negative health behaviors (e.g. overeating, smoking) are associated with increased negative health outcomes. Engaging in healthy behaviors is not always rewarding (e.g. carrot vs. cake). Neural models of healthy behaviors focus on the balance between reward and regulation brain regions. The current pilot application examines the engagement of these regions during the evaluation of food and nonfood cues before and after a guided imagery exercise targeting positive associations with food and regulation. The long-term goal is to understand the interaction between positive associations with healthy foods and thinking about future rewards may influence healthy decision-making. The objective of the current study is to empirically test the combined effects of positive affect and positive episodic future thinking on brain activation.

The guided imagery exercise asks participants to think about positive associations with healthy foods and imagine their future healthy selves.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging will measure brain activation changes in self-regulation brain regions including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex when participants view healthy compared to unhealthy food images before and after the guided imagery exercise

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging will measure brain activation changes in reward brain regions including the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and striatum when participants view healthy compared to unhealthy food images before and after the guided imagery exercise

Observational preference for healthy compared to unhealthy food choices measured by the number of healthy and unhealthy foods selected following the guided imagery exercise

Behavioral changes in demand for healthy compared to unhealthy foods will be measured by asking participants to indicate how healthy and unhealthy food items they would eat in a day if the items were freely available

Inclusion Criteria: body mass index 25 to 55 kg/m2 right-handed not currently dieting or attempting to lose weight. Exclusion Criteria: serious medical illness unsuitable for the magnetic resonance imaging scanner based on best clinical judgment any neurologic or current psychiatric diagnosis currently taking anti-seizure medication history of concussion left-handedness risk for hazard due to magnetic fields such as metal in the body surgically or accidentally pregnancy

Researchers may contact the Principal Investigator to request the data and will be required to sign research sharing agreements with the institution before gaining access.