Researchers reporting in the February 15 issue of the journal Neuroimage used functional MRI to observe how the brain responds to satiety messages delivered when the stomach is in various stages of fullness. They found overweight people had less activation than normal weight people in a specific area of the brain when they were full.
Overweight people were also less likely to report satisfaction when their stomach was moderately full.
Scientists say the study provides the first evidence of the brain connection and could lead to a potential direction for treatment strategies.