GLP-1 Analogue Effects on Neural Responses to High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Eating Behavior in Obesity

GLP-1 analogues (GLP-1a) may change sweet food preferences but the neural mechanisms are not fully understood. We studied the effect of GLP-1a on neural responses to drinking high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) using fMRI in 5 lean (LN, BMI 21kg/m2, mean age 21, A1c 5.3%) and 7 obese (OB, BMI 38, age 26, A1c 5.5%) subjects. The OB group had a second fMRI after 3-mos treatment with liraglutide 3.0 mg daily. Food intake was evaluated by dietary recall. At baseline, OB group had increased cerebral blood flow (CBF) in regions implicated in reward/motivation (putamen) and taste perception (insula) vs. LN (p=.05). However, the OB group’s responses to HFCS changed markedly after 3-mos GLP-1a treatment. As shown in the Figure, CBF in OB group increased in regions related to impulse control (anterior cingulate cortex/ventromedial prefrontal cortex), taste perception (insula), and thalamus. It is also noteworthy that CBF did not increase in the reward/motivation region (putamen) during liraglutide treatment. Changes in neural responses to HFCS intake during GLP-1a treatment were accompanied by a 1080 kcal/d decrease in food intake (p 50% decrease in daily sugar intake. These preliminary data suggest decreased food and sugar intake induced by GLP-1a may be related to neural mechanisms that promote impulse control while simultaneously suppressing dysregulated reward responses following sugar intake. Disclosure K. Joseph: None. J. Leventhal: None. S. Hwang: None. M. Knight: None. D. Seo: None. C. Lacadie: None. M.A. Van Name: None. S. Caprio: None. J. Sherr: Advisory Panel; Self; Bigfoot Biomedical, Cecelia Health. Consultant; Self; Eli Lilly and Company, Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Medtronic, Sanofi, T1D Exchange. W.V. Tamborlane: Consultant; Self; AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim International GmbH, Eli Lilly and Company, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk Inc., Sanofi US. Other Relationship; Self; Eisai Inc., MannKind Corporation. R. Sinha: None. A.M. Jastreboff: Consultant; Self; Novo Nordisk Inc., Rhythm Pharmaceuticals. Funding American Diabetes Association (1-18-JDF-003 to A.M.J.)