Neural correlates of food picture processing

Abstract

Food is a fundamental stimulus category for living organisms. Building upon previous research examining domain-specific patterns of brain activity, we explored the cortical representation of food pictures. In a fMRI block study, participants (N 5 12) viewed pictures depicting highly appetizing food items (vegetable dishes, meat dishes, dessert), as well as face and house stimuli. Scrambled versions of these pictures allowed controlling for low-level physical stimulus characteristics. In a further condition, the picture materials were presented in black and white. With regard to visual-associative regions, food compared to faces and houses elicited increased BOLD activity in the occipitotemporal gyrus. In addition, food pictures elicited increased activation in the parietal cortex, cingulate cortex (medial and posterior), and frontal structures (anterior prefrontal, inferior and superior frontal). Increased activations to food stimuli in orbitofrontal, medial frontal, premotor, and insular regions appeared right-lateralized. Thus, in addition to mandatory visual representation, food stimuli engage an extensive set of neural structures implicated in the regulation of emotion, motivation, and attention processes.