Nicotinic Agonist Effects on BMI and Neuronal Response

Obesity is a serious and growing health problem in the United States. Obesity is associated with health problems such as type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, leading to decreased quality of life and increased mortality. Given the health and quality-of-life effects of obesity, developing effective treatments clearly is an important goal. This study plans to learn more about the effects of an investigational new drug (DMXB-A (3-(2,4-dimethoxybenzylidene anabaseine)) and its effects on obesity. The study drug has similar effects to nicotine. Since nicotine has been found to affect appetite, the investigators are interested in studying effects of the study drug, which has some similarities to nicotine, on how your brain responds to such things as pictures of food. The study drug has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and is considered experimental.