Distinct functional connectivity phenotypes in preadolescent children with binge eating disorder by BMI status
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Updated: Jun 10, 2025
A Computer-Based Platform for Aiding Clinicians in Eating Disorder Analysis and Diagnosis
Published on: May 10, 2022
Trevor Steward1, Kay Jann2, Stuart B Murray3
1Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Insights
Binge eating disorder (BED) in children shows altered brain connectivity, particularly between reward and default mode networks. These changes are linked to BED itself, not just weight status, impacting emotion regulation.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychiatry
- Brain Imaging
Background:
- Neurobiological mechanisms of pediatric binge eating disorder (BED) are unclear.
- Alterations may stem from BED, obesity, or both.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional connectivity (FC) in inhibitory control and reward networks in children with and without BED.
- To differentiate FC patterns based on Body Mass Index (BMI) within the BED group.
- To clarify the specific neurobiological underpinnings of BED in preadolescence.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) analysis using seed regions in prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala.
- Seed-to-voxel analyses compared FC in children with BED (high vs. low BMI) and controls.
- Utilized data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.
Main Results:
- Children with BED exhibited reduced connectivity between the reward network and default mode network regions, independent of BMI.
- Hypoconnectivity was observed in fronto-amygdalar circuits in BED, linked to impaired emotion regulation.
- These FC alterations appear specific to BED rather than obesity.
Conclusions:
- Functional connectivity differences between reward and default mode networks are associated with BED in children.
- These findings suggest BED, not weight status, is the primary driver of observed FC alterations.
- The results highlight potential targets for understanding and treating pediatric BED.
Objective:
The neurobiological mechanisms underpinning binge eating disorder (BED) in children remain largely unclear, as the alterations that have been identified to date may be attributable to BED, obesity, or compound effects. This study aimed to delineate functional connectivity (FC) patterns in inhibitory control and reward networks in preadolescent children with and without BED from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study according to BMI.
Methods:
Resting-state FC was examined in the inhibitory control network by using seeds in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex, and the posterior cingulate cortex, whereas the reward network included seeds in the orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala. Seed-to-voxel analyses characterized FC differences between preadolescent children with BED with a high BMI and those with BED with a low BMI.
Results:
We identified that BED was characterized by reduced connectivity between the reward network and regions in the default mode network, irrespective of weight status. Participants with BED also presented with hypoconnectivity in fronto-amygdalar circuits, which has been consistently associated with impaired emotion regulation capacity.
Conclusions:
Our findings support that FC alterations between the reward network and the default mode network may be specifically impacted by the presence of BED as opposed to weight status.
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