Altered Interactions Among Resting-State Networks in Individuals with Obesity.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Medical Imaging
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Obesity is a complex metabolic disorder associated with altered brain function.
• Understanding the neural underpinnings of obesity is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate alterations in functional connectivity (FC) within and between resting-state networks in individuals with obesity (OB).
• To examine networks involved in salience, executive control, and interoception.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) was employed.
• Independent component analysis (ICA) and FC analysis were used to examine brain networks.
• 35 participants with obesity and 35 normal-weight controls were included.

Main Results:

• Obesity was associated with reduced FC in the default-mode network (DMN), salience network (SN), and frontoparietal network (FPN).
• Increased FC was observed in the insula (INS) in individuals with obesity.
• FC alterations correlated with food craving and eating disorder scores.

Conclusions:

• Altered FC within and between SN, DMN, and FPN may contribute to heightened food incentive value (craving) in obesity.
• These neural changes might underlie compulsive overeating and impaired interoception in individuals with obesity.