Altered Brain Structural Reorganization and Hierarchical Integrated Processing in Obesity.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Obesity Research
• Brain Imaging

Background:

• Obesity involves complex brain processes for food evaluation and response.
• Neurocircuit abnormalities in obesity may stem from disrupted internal and external information integration.
• Existing research on brain alterations in obesity lacks consistent findings and sufficient evidence on neuronal plasticity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key neural structural regions and activity patterns in obesity.
• To evaluate correlations between functional brain modulation and eating behavior.
• To explore the role of the parahippocampal gyrus (PG) in obesity.

Main Methods:

• Gray matter volume (GMV) and Granger causality analysis (GCA) were used.
• Participants included 42 individuals with obesity and 33 normal-weight controls.
• Data analyzed using DPARSF, CAT12, and DynamicBC toolboxes.

Main Results:

• The obesity group showed increased GMV in the left parahippocampal gyrus (PG).
• Obesity was associated with altered causal connectivity involving the left PG, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), supplementary motor area (SMA), and other regions.
• Specific correlations were found between eating behavior scores (DEBQ) and brain connectivity patterns.

Conclusions:

• Increased GMV in the PG is implicated in obesity, potentially affecting reward processing and behavioral control.
• Altered brain connectivity in obesity may relate to devalued reward systems and impaired attention to external food cues.
• Findings suggest targets for developing personalized obesity prevention strategies.