Brain activation to high-calorie food images in healthy normal weight and obese children: a fMRI study

Amjad Samara,Xuehua Li,Thomas M. Badger,R. T. Pivik,Xiawei Ou

doi:10.1186/s40608-018-0209-1

Abstract

BackgroundUnderstanding how normal weight and obese young children process high-calorie food stimuli may provide information relevant to the neurobiology of eating behavior contributing to childhood obesity. In this study, we used fMRI to evaluate whether brain activation to high-calorie food images differs between normal weight and obese young children.MethodsBrain activation maps in response to high-calorie food images and non-food images for 22 healthy, 8–10-years-old children (N = 11/11 for normal weight/obese respectively) were generated and compared between groups.ResultsWhen comparing brain activation differences in response to viewing high-calorie food versus non-food images between normal weight and obese children, group differences were observed in areas related to memory and cognitive control. Specifically, normal weight children showed higher activation of posterior parahippocampal gyri (PPHG) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC). Further ROI analyses indicated higher activation strength (Z scores) in the right PPHG (p = 0.01) and higher activation strength (p < 0.001) as well as a larger activation area (p = 0.02) in the DMPFC in normal weight than obese children.ConclusionsNormal weight and obese children process high-calorie food stimuli differently even from a young age. Normal weight children exhibit increased brain activation in regions associated with memory and cognitive control when viewing high-calorie food images.

Highlights

Understanding how normal weight and obese young children process high-calorie food stimuli may provide information relevant to the neurobiology of eating behavior contributing to childhood obesity
The normal weight and obese children groups did not differ in sex composition (p = 1), or age at MRI (p = 0.10), but as per experimental design were significantly different in body mass index (BMI) (p < 0.001)
The posterior parahippocampal gyri (PPHG) and the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) were activated in normal weight but not in obese children based on the mean activation maps; additional region of interest (ROI) analysis showed significant differences in mean activation strength of the right PPHG, and in both mean activation strength and mean activation area of the DMPFC

Summary

Introduction

Understanding how normal weight and obese young children process high-calorie food stimuli may provide information relevant to the neurobiology of eating behavior contributing to childhood obesity. We used fMRI to evaluate whether brain activation to high-calorie food images differs between normal weight and obese young children. Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern and its prevalence has continued to increase in the last decades [1]. Overweight and obese children are at increased risk of being overweight or obese as adults and for the adverse health consequences associated with these conditions [2]. FMRI has been extensively used to study brain activation in response to food stimuli. When stimulated by food images, specific brain regions may be activated, including orbitofrontal cortex, insula, striatum, and amygdala [7,8,9,10]. Factors influencing the specific activation pattern observed include the motivational status

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Discussion

Conclusion