Effects of Semaglutide on Brain Dopamine Responses to Food Cues in Adults With Obesity and Food Addiction Tendencies

NCT07732426 · tracked via the Priya Life Science South Korea tracker

Sponsor

Seoul National University Hospital

Phase

Not applicable

Started

2026-07-15

Last updated

2026-07-28

Condition(s) studied

Food Addiction TendencyObesityOverweight

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Semaglutide →

Semaglutide: Participants receive an 8-week subcutaneous semaglutide dose-escalation treatment using Wegovy: 0.25 mg once weekly for the first 4 weeks, followed by 0.5 mg once weekly for the next 4 weeks.

Study summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate how semaglutide affects the way the brain responds to food in adults with obesity and food addiction tendencies.

The main goals of this study are:

* To see if semaglutide changes dopamine-related activity in the brain during the look, smell, and drink period.
* To see if semaglutide changes dopamine-related brain signals during the post-ingestive period.
* To see if semaglutide changes psychological survey results and cognitive task results.

Adults with obesity and food addiction tendencies will join this study. Each participant will receive semaglutide treatment for 8 weeks. Each participant will have two brain scans using \[11C\]raclopride PET.

During each PET scan, participants will:

* View food images.
* Receive chocolate milk through a tube while lying in the scanner.
* Use a tablet during the scan to rate their hunger, desire for the chocolate milk drink, and liking of the drink.

Eligibility

Sex

ALL

Min age

19 Years

Max age

50 Years

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria: * Participants aged between 19 and 50 years. * Eligible for treatment with semaglutide, defined as either: * Initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or higher; or * Initial BMI of 27 kg/m2 to less than 30 kg/m2 with at least one weight-related comorbidity, such as dysglycemia, hypertension, dyslipidemia, obstructive sleep apnea, or cardiovascular disease. * Mild or greater food addiction tendency, defined as a Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) score of 3 or higher. * Able to understand the study tasks and provide appropriate responses. Exclusion Criteria: * Use of medications that may affect body weight or dopaminergic medications within the past 2 months. * Known hypersensitivity to semaglutide. * Pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant. * Severe renal impairment, hepatic impairment, heart failure, acute pancreatitis, or thyroid disease. * Any medical condition, disease, or medical history that, in the investigator's judgment, would make it difficult for the participant to complete the study or would interfere with interpretation of the study results. * Allergy to ingredients in chocolate milk, including milk or soy, or to ingredients that may be present through cross-contamination, including egg, buckwheat, peanut, wheat, peach, tomato, walnut, pork, or beef. * Participants with both no self-reported preference for chocolate milk and a chocolate milk preference score of less than 5 on a 10-point visual analog scale (VAS).

Primary outcome measure(s)

Change in Dopamine Binding Potential During the Look, Smell, and Drink Period — Group A: At Baseline (Day 0) and 8 weeks (±3 days) after starting semaglutide. Group B: At 8 weeks (±3 days) after starting semaglutide and 8 weeks after semaglutide discontinuation.
Dopamine D2/D3 receptor binding potential is measured using \[11C\]raclopride PET during the food cue and drink period. The outcome is the within-participant difference in binding potential between the on-drug and off-drug/post-washout conditions.

Trial sites (1)

Facility	City	Region	Status
Seoul National University Hospital	Seoul	South Korea	Recruiting

On this site

📄 Ozempic (semaglutide) drug profile →

More Seoul National University Hospital trials in South Korea

Lung Cancer Surgery in Sarcopenia Patients With Old Age Active, not recruiting

Safety of Minimally Invasive Surgery Using Endoscopic Stapler in Early Stage Cervical Cancer Patients (SOLUTION) Recruiting

Radioembolization as a Spearhead Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma With Localized Portal Vein Tumor Thrombosis Recruiting

Eribulin With or Without Trastuzumab-biosimilar in Patients With HER2-overexpressed Recurrent or Stage IV Breast Cancer Recruiting

Reduction of Remifentanil-related Complications Starting soon

Other trials for the same condition

A Study of Eloralintide (LY3841136) in Participants With Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Obesity or Overweight Recruiting

AMAZE 13: A Research Study Investigating How Well the Medicine Zenagamtide Helps People in Asia With Excess Body Weight Lose Weight Starting soon

Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of KDS2010 in Overweight or Obese Patients Recruiting

A Study of Eloralintide (LY3841136) in Participants With Obesity or Overweight, and Type 2 Diabetes Recruiting

AMAZE 2: A Research Study Investigating How Well the Medicine NNC0487-0111 Helps People With Excess Body Weight and Type 2 Diabetes Lose Weight Recruiting

Official registry record

This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.

View NCT07732426 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ ← All trials in South Korea