Thanarajah, Sharmili EdwinDiFeliceantonio, Alexandra G.Albus, KerstinKuzmanovic, BojanaRigoux, LionelIglesias, SandraHanßen, RuthSchlamann, MarcCornely, Oliver A.Brüning, Jens C.Tittgemeyer, MarcSmall, Dana M.2023-04-242023-04-242023-04-041550-4131S1550-4131(23)00051-7 (PII)http://hdl.handle.net/10919/114751Western diets rich in fat and sugar promote excess calorie intake and weight gain; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Despite a well-documented association between obesity and altered brain dopamine function, it remains elusive whether these alterations are (1) pre-existing, increasing the individual susceptibility to weight gain, (2) secondary to obesity, or (3) directly attributable to repeated exposure to western diet. To close this gap, we performed a randomized, controlled study (NCT05574660) with normal-weight participants exposed to a high-fat/high-sugar snack or a low-fat/low-sugar snack for 8 weeks in addition to their regular diet. The high-fat/high-sugar intervention decreased the preference for low-fat food while increasing brain response to food and associative learning independent of food cues or reward. These alterations were independent of changes in body weight and metabolic parameters, indicating a direct effect of high-fat, high-sugar foods on neurobehavioral adaptations that may increase the risk for overeating and weight gain.Pages 571-584application/pdfenCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 InternationaldopaminefMRIhigh-fat dietneural plasticityobesityprediction errorpreferencereinforcement learningrewardtastevalueHumansObesityWeight GainRewardSnacksSugarsArticle - Refereed2023-04-21https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2023.02.015354DiFeliceantonio, Alexandra [0000-0002-7155-6060]369583301932-7420