Obese individuals with type 2 diabetes demonstrate decreased activation of the salience-related insula and increased activation of the emotion/salience-related amygdala to visual food cues compared to non-obese individuals with diabetes: A preliminary study.

A better understanding of the underlying pathophysiology of obesity and its comorbidities is needed to develop more effective therapeutics. In the current study, differences in brain activation to food cues between obese (n = 6) versus non-obese (n = 5) individuals with type 2 diabetes were examined cross-sectionally using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Obese individuals with type 2 diabetes demonstrate less activation of the salience- and reward-related insula while fasting and increased activation of the amygdala to highly desirable foods after a meal. These findings in individuals with type 2 diabetes suggest a persistence of differences between obese versus non-obese individuals. Future, larger studies should confirm this differential activation between lean and obese individuals with and without type 2 diabetes.