Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research have now measured how well the learning of associations works in participants with normal body weight (high insulin sensitivity, 30 volunteers) and in participants with obesity (reduced insulin sensitivity, 24 volunteers), and if this learning process is influenced by the
drug liraglutide. Low insulin sensitivity reduces the brain’s ability to associate sensory stimuli.
or a placebo in the evening. Liraglutide is a so-called GLP-1 agonist, which activates the GLP-1 receptor in the body, stimulating insulin production and producing a feeling of satiety. It is often used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes and is given once a day.
The next morning, the subjects were given a learning task that allowed the researchers to measure how well associative learning works. They found that the ability to associate sensory stimuli was less pronounced in participants with obesity than in those of normal weight and that brain activity was reduced in the areas encoding this learning behavior.
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After just one dose of liraglutide, participants with obesity no longer showed these impairments, and no difference in brain activity was seen between participants with normal weight and obesity(1✔ ✔Trusted Source
Liraglutide restores impaired associative learning in individuals with obesity
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). In other words, the drug returned the brain activity to the state of normal-weight subjects.“These findings are of fundamental importance. We show here that basic behaviours such as associative learning depend not only on external environmental conditions but also on the body’s metabolic state. So, whether someone has overweight or not also determines how the brain learns to associate sensory signals and what motivation is generated.” says study leader Marc Tittgemeyer from the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research.
” Obesity prevention should play a much greater role in our healthcare system in the future. Lifelong medication is the less preferred option in comparison to primary prevention of obesity and associated complications,” says Ruth Hanen, first author of the study and a physician at the University Hospital of Cologne.
Reference :
- Liraglutide restores impaired associative learning in individuals with obesity – (https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-023-00859-y)
Source: Eurekalert
