Toward molecular neuroeconomics of obesity

TL;DR

This paper proposes integrating neurobiological, economic, and temporal models to better understand obesity and eating disorders, aiming to inform future neuroeconomic and neuropsychiatric research and treatments.

Contribution

It unifies economic theories of addiction with neurobiological findings and introduces novel temporal discounting models based on Tsallis' statistics for obesity research.

Findings

Identification of neurobiological substrates influencing economic parameters in obesity

Emphasis on time-inconsistent and gain/loss asymmetrical discounting models

Discussion of molecular-level applications for obesity treatment

Abstract

Because obesity is a risk factor for many serious illnesses such as diabetes, better understandings of obesity and eating disorders have been attracting attention in neurobiology, psychiatry, and neuroeconomics. This paper presents future study directions by unifying (i) economic theory of addiction and obesity (Becker and Murphy, 1988; Levy 2002; Dragone 2009), and (ii) recent empirical findings in neuroeconomics and neurobiology of obesity and addiction. It is suggested that neurobiological substrates such as adiponectin, dopamine (D2 receptors), endocannabinoids, ghrelin, leptin, nesfatin-1, norepinephrine, orexin, oxytocin, serotonin, vasopressin, CCK, GLP-1, MCH, PYY, and stress hormones (e.g., CRF) in the brain (e.g., OFC, VTA, NAcc, and the hypothalamus) may determine parameters in the economic theory of obesity. Also, the importance of introducing time-inconsistent and gain/loss-asymmetrical temporal discounting (intertemporal choice) models based on Tsallis' statistics and incorporating time-perception parameters into the neuroeconomic theory is emphasized. Future directions in the application of the theory to studies in neuroeconomics and neuropsychiatry of obesity at the molecular level, which may help medical/psychopharmacological treatments of obesity (e.g., with sibutramine), are discussed.