Increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activation in obese children during observation of food stimuli

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Pediatric Obesity Research
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Adult studies show differences in brain activation to food cues between obese and normal-weight individuals.
• Limited research exists on brain responses to food stimuli in children based on weight status.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in brain activation patterns in response to visual food cues between obese/overweight and normal-weight children.
• To compare neural responses to food, pleasant, and neutral stimuli across weight groups in pediatric populations.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study comparing 22 obese/overweight children with 22 age-matched normal-weight children.
• Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess whole-head brain activation during visual stimulus presentation.
• Included psychological testing and psychophysical measures of heart rate deceleration.

Main Results:

• Obese children exhibited greater activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) when viewing food pictures, negatively correlated with self-esteem.
• Normal-weight children showed increased activation in the caudate and hippocampus for food pictures, and in the anterior cingulate cortex and thalamus for general visual cues.
• Obese children displayed heart rate deceleration in response to food stimuli, positively correlated with ventrolateral prefrontal cortex activation.

Conclusions:

• Obese children demonstrate heightened prefrontal cortex activation in response to food stimuli.
• This increased prefrontal activation in obese children may be linked to enhanced inhibitory control mechanisms.
• Findings highlight distinct neural processing of food cues in pediatric obesity.