Effect of Preadolescents' Obesity on Inhibitory Control During Stop-Signal Task: A Functional EEG Network Study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
• Limited understanding exists regarding the link between childhood obesity, cognitive functions, and brain network alterations.
• The stop-signal task is crucial for assessing inhibitory control and conflict monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between childhood obesity and functional brain networks.
• To analyze brain network properties during the stop-signal task in obese and non-obese preadolescents.
• To explore correlations between body mass index (BMI) and brain network characteristics.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a publicly available dataset for analysis.
• Examined functional brain network connectivity and properties during the stop-signal task.
• Compared network characteristics between obese and non-obese preadolescent groups.
• Assessed correlations between network metrics and BMI.

Main Results:

• Both obese and non-obese children showed increased network connectivity during high-demand conditions ('No-go' vs. 'Go').
• Obese preadolescents displayed significantly enhanced frontal-parietal, frontal-occipital, and frontal-temporal network linkages.
• Heightened network efficiency was observed in obese children under both task conditions.
• Network properties correlated significantly with BMI and could predict BMI scores.

Conclusions:

• Childhood obesity is associated with atypical development of frontal-based brain networks.
• These network alterations impact inhibitory control and cognitive performance in obese children.
• Obesity's consequences extend beyond physical health, affecting neural development and function.