# Olfactory contributions to sleep-dependent food craving and calorie intake

> **NIH NIH R21** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $201,077

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Obesity is a massive public-health issue in the US. Clinical and epidemiological studies have indicated that
increased body weight is related to reduced sleep. In line with this, previous research has shown that sleep
deprivation is associated with changes in appetite-regulating hormones. However, the central brain processes
that underlie sleep-related changes in food intake are currently unclear. The olfactory system plays an
important role in regulating food intake, and animal models indicate that appetite-regulating hormones may
alter olfactory processing, suggesting that sleep deprivation may increase neural processing of food stimuli.
We propose a feasibility study that aims to provide proof-of-concept data for the hypothesis that sleep
deprivation enhances neural processing of food odors (Aim 1). We predict that olfactory cortices are among the
first stages in the neural processing hierarchy at which sleep deprivation amplifies signals related to food
odors. In a second step, we propose to test whether enhanced processing of food odors is related to
alterations in food intake (Aim 2). To test these hypotheses, human subjects will smell odors of food and non-
food control odors while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), either after a night of
normal sleep, or after a night during which they were only allowed to sleep for a maximum of 4 hours. We
propose to use pattern-based neuroimaging analysis techniques to determine whether sleep deprivation
enhances neural encoding of food odors. To test whether sleep deprivation affects olfactory processing
through changes in appetite-regulating hormones, we will measure hormone levels in blood samples collected
during fMRI scanning. Finally, to examine whether enhanced olfactory processing affects eating behavior, we
will monitor food intake after fMRI scanning in a buffet-style setting. Results from this study should reveal a
neuro-hormonal mechanism that mediates the effects of sleep deprivation on eating behavior. Describing this
mechanism may ultimately help to develop novel treatment approaches combating obesity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9893870
- **Project number:** 5R21DK118503-02
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Thorsten Kahnt
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $201,077
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9893870

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9893870, Olfactory contributions to sleep-dependent food craving and calorie intake (5R21DK118503-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9893870. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*