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Contributed by Joanna S. Fowler, July 21, 2020 (sent for review April 8, 2020); reviewed by Nori Geary and David A. Mankoff)
Significance
Obesity is a major public health problem in a growing proportion of children and adults in the developed world. Estrogen influences body weight and behavioral responses to appetitive stimuli. Estrogen biosynthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme aromatase in all organs measured, including the brain. Using the aromatase radiotracer [11C]vorozole, we measured aromatase availability in the amygdala in healthy-weight to obese adults. Obesity was associated with lower aromatase availability and less constraint independent of sex and age. Variability in brain estrogen synthesis may contribute to obesity by directly regulating feeding and broadly by affecting self-control. These findings suggest that brain aromatase imaging offers a method for characterizing the role of brain estrogen in obesity and other impairments in self-regulation.
Abstract
Gonadal hormones are linked to mechanisms that govern appetitive behavior and its suppression. Estrogens are synthesized from androgens by the enzyme aromatase, highly expressed in the ovaries of reproductive-aged women and in the brains of men and women of all ages. We measured aromatase availability in the amygdala using positron emission tomography (PET) with the aromatase inhibitor [11C]vorozole in a sample of 43 adult, normal-weight, overweight, or obese men and women. A subsample of 27 also completed personality measures to examine the relationship between aromatase and personality traits related to self-regulation and inhibitory control. Results indicated that aromatase availability in the amygdala was negatively associated with body mass index (BMI) (in kilograms per square meter) and positively correlated with scores of the personality trait constraint independent of sex or age. Individual variations in the brain’s capacity to synthesize estrogen may influence the risk of obesity and self-control in men and women.
Footnotes
- ↵1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: anat.biegon{at}stonybrookmedicine.edu or fowler{at}bnl.gov.
Author contributions: A.B., N.A.-K., and T.H. designed research; A.B., N.A.-K., D.L.A., R.P.-C., G.-J.W., and T.H. performed research; D.L.A., J.S.F., and S.W.K. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; A.B., J.L., D.P., R.P.-C., and T.H. analyzed data; and A.B., N.A.-K., J.S.F., and T.H. wrote the paper.
Reviewers: N.G., Weill Cornell Medical College (retired); and D.A.M., University of Pennsylvania.
The authors declare no competing interest.
Data Availability.
All study data are included in the article and SI Appendix.
Published under the PNAS license.
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Relationship of estrogen synthesis capacity in the brain with obesity and self-control in men and women
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