Interesting Study on Food Addiction

Context  Research has implicated an addictive process in the development and maintenance of obesity. Although parallels in neural functioning between obesity and substance dependence have been found, to our knowledge, no studies have examined the neural correlates of addictive-like eating behavior.


Objective  To test the hypothesis that elevated "food addiction" scores are associated with similar patterns of neural activation as substance dependence.


Conclusions  Similar patterns of neural activation are implicated in addictive-like eating behavior and substance dependence: elevated activation in reward circuitry in response to food cues and reduced activation of inhibitory regions in response to food intake.

http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/archgenpsychiatry.2011.32

I have activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the caudate in response to anticipated receipt of these gummy Japanese candies: