Autonomic and resting-state effective connectivity signatures of binge eating behavior

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Autonomic Nervous System Research
• Eating Behavior Studies

Background:

• Autonomic dysfunction is linked to binge eating (BE) behaviors.
• Previous studies focused on functional connectivity in reward, emotion, and cognitive networks in BE.
• The role of central autonomic control regions and their interplay with autonomic balance in BE remains underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if effective connectivity (EC) patterns moderate the relationship between heart rate variability (HRV) and BE behaviors.
• To identify specific neural pathways involved in the brain-autonomic interaction underlying BE.
• To explore potential biomarkers for BE behavior.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state fMRI data from 158 healthy adults (30 with BE) were analyzed.
• Spectral dynamic causal modeling was used to assess EC within a defined eating regulation network.
• Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) evaluated the predictive power of EC patterns.

Main Results:

• Twenty EC connections were associated with BE (posterior probability > 0.99).
• EC from the left posterior cingulate cortex to the hypothalamus predicted group membership (AUC = 0.622).
• Approximate entropy predicted BE behavior, moderated by ventral tegmental area to hypothalamus EC.

Conclusions:

• Novel directional connectivity patterns in brain networks associated with BE were identified.
• Brain-autonomic interactions, specifically involving the hypothalamus and autonomic balance markers like HRV, are implicated in BE.
• These findings offer potential targets for future interventions for BE behavior.