Body Satisfaction, Exercise Dependence, and White Matter Microstructure in Young Adults

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Radiology

Background:

• Exercise dependence (EXD) is associated with body dissatisfaction.
• The underlying neuropsychological mechanisms linking body satisfaction and EXD are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the role of white matter microstructure in the relationship between body satisfaction and exercise dependence.
• Investigate specific white matter tracts involved in this association.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study involving 108 regular exercisers.
• Utilized diffusion-weighted imaging (3.0 Tesla, 30 directions) and whole-brain tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS).
• Assessed body shape satisfaction (BSS) and exercise dependence (EDS) using validated scales; analyzed fractional anisotropy (FA) and quantitative anisotropy (QA) values.

Main Results:

• Negative correlations were found between EDS scores and FA values in the corticospinal tract (CST), cingulum, and superior thalamic radiation (STR).
• EDS scores also showed negative associations with QA values in the inferior frontal occipital fasciculus, STR, CST, and cingulum.
• Fractional anisotropy (FA) values, not quantitative anisotropy (QA), mediated the association between body satisfaction and exercise dependence.

Conclusions:

• White matter microstructure in frontal-subcortical and sensorimotor networks is correlated with exercise dependence.
• Specific white matter tracts, particularly those measured by FA, mediate the link between body satisfaction and exercise dependence.
• White matter microstructure may serve as a neural marker for understanding the neuropsychological basis of exercise dependence.