Sayer, R DrewTamer, Gregory GChen, NingningTregellas, Jason RCornier, Marc-AndreKareken, David ATalavage, Thomas MMcCrory, Megan ACampbell, Wayne W2018-03-132018-03-132016-10Sayer, R. D., Tamer, G. G., Chen, N., Tregellas, J. R., Cornier, M.-A., Kareken, D. A., … Campbell, W. W. (2016). Reproducibility assessment of brain responses to visual food stimuli in adults with overweight and obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 24(10), 2057–2063. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.216031930-7381https://hdl.handle.net/1805/15494Objective The brain’s reward system influences ingestive behavior and subsequently, obesity risk. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is a common method for investigating brain reward function. We sought to assess the reproducibility of fasting-state brain responses to visual food stimuli using BOLD fMRI. Methods A priori brain regions of interest included bilateral insula, amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, caudate, and putamen. Fasting-state fMRI and appetite assessments were completed by 28 women (n=16) and men (n=12) with overweight or obesity on 2 days. Reproducibility was assessed by comparing mean fasting-state brain responses and measuring test-retest reliability of these responses on the 2 testing days. Results Mean fasting-state brain responses on Day 2 were reduced compared to Day 1 in the left insula and right amygdala, but mean Day 1 and Day 2 responses were not different in the other regions of interest. With the exception of the left orbitofrontal cortex response (fair reliability), test-retest reliabilities of brain responses were poor or unreliable. Conclusion fMRI-measured responses to visual food cues in adults with overweight or obesity show relatively good mean-level reproducibility, but considerable within-subject variability. Poor test-retest reliability reduces the likelihood of observing true correlations and increases the necessary sample sizes for studies.en-USPublisher PolicyfMRIrewardtest-retest reliabilityobesityappetiteArticle