Task-Evoked Neural Activity During Reward Anticipation and Inhibitory Control in Preadolescent Binge Eating Disorder
Stuart B Murray1, Ru Zhang2, Christina J Duval1
1Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Keck School of Medicine of USC, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California.
Insights
Preadolescent children with binge eating disorder (BED) show no differences in brain activity related to reward or inhibitory control compared to peers. This study investigated neural networks in pediatric BED, finding no significant group differences.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatric Psychiatry
Background:
- Binge eating disorder (BED) is characterized by behavioral patterns suggesting reward and inhibitory control issues.
- While adult BED studies show neural network abnormalities, the neurobiology in children remains largely unexamined.
- Behavioral markers of BED often emerge in childhood, highlighting the need for pediatric neurobiological research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neurobiology of binge eating disorder (BED) in preadolescent children.
- To examine functional brain activity in reward and inhibitory control networks during specific tasks.
- To compare neural responses between children with BED and age-matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Utilized functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on 58 preadolescent children (9-10 years) with BED and 68 controls.
- Participants completed the monetary incentive delay task and the stop signal task.
- Analyzed blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) responses in regions of interest, including the orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex.
Main Results:
- No significant group differences were found in neural activity during inhibitory control tasks.
- No significant group differences emerged in brain responses during the anticipation or receipt of reward.
- Children with BED did not exhibit abnormal neural activity in key reward or inhibitory control circuits compared to controls.
Conclusions:
- Preadolescent children with BED do not show altered neural activity in reward or inhibitory control circuitry during tested tasks.
- Findings suggest that observed behavioral differences in pediatric BED may not stem from the specific neural circuits examined.
- Further research is needed to understand the neurobiological underpinnings of BED in this age group.
Purpose:
Behavioral features of binge eating disorder (BED) suggest abnormalities in reward and inhibitory control. Studies of adult populations suggest functional abnormalities in reward and inhibitory control networks. Despite behavioral markers often developing in children, the neurobiology of pediatric BED remains unstudied.
Methods:
Fifty eight preadolescent children (aged 9-10 years) with BED and 68 age, body mass index and developmentally matched control children were extracted from the 3.0 baseline (Year 0) release of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. We investigated task-evoked blood-oxygen-level-dependent response during functional magnetic resonance imaging, as participants completed the monetary incentive delay task and the stop signal task. We indexed group differences in regions of interest in the reward (orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens) and inhibitory control (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex).
Results:
No significant group differences emerged during tasks of inhibitory control among children with BED and children without BED. Similarly, no significant group differences emerged during the anticipation or receipt of reward among children with BED and children without BED.
Discussion:
Preadolescent children with BED do not demonstrate abnormal neural activity in prominent nodes of reward or inhibitory control circuitry during tasks of inhibitory control, reward anticipation, and reward receipt, relative to children without BED who also had a similar body mass index.
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