G. Oppenheimer Family Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience, Ingestive Behavior and Obesity Program, CHS 42-210 MC737818, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles, USA.
Imaging Genetics Center, Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
Sci Rep. 2021 Feb 9;11(1):3386. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-83116-0.
Functional neuroimaging studies in obesity have identified alterations in the connectivity within the reward network leading to decreased homeostatic control of ingestive behavior. However, the neural mechanisms underlying sex differences in the prevalence of food addiction in obesity is unknown. The aim of the study was to identify functional connectivity alterations associated with: (1) Food addiction, (2) Sex- differences in food addiction, (3) Ingestive behaviors. 150 participants (females: N = 103, males: N = 47; food addiction: N = 40, no food addiction: N = 110) with high BMI ≥ 25 kg/m underwent functional resting state MRIs. Participants were administered the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), to determine diagnostic criteria for food addiction (YFAS Symptom Count ≥ 3 with clinically significant impairment or distress), and completed ingestive behavior questionnaires. Connectivity differences were analyzed using a general linear model in the CONN Toolbox and images were segmented using the Schaefer 400, Harvard-Oxford Subcortical, and Ascending Arousal Network atlases. Significant connectivities and clinical variables were correlated. Statistical significance was corrected for multiple comparisons at q < .05. (1) Individuals with food addiction had greater connectivity between brainstem regions and the orbital frontal gyrus compared to individuals with no food addiction. (2) Females with food addiction had greater connectivity in the salience and emotional regulation networks and lowered connectivity between the default mode network and central executive network compared to males with food addiction. (3) Increased connectivity between regions of the reward network was positively associated with scores on the General Food Cravings Questionnaire-Trait, indicative of greater food cravings in individuals with food addiction. Individuals with food addiction showed greater connectivity between regions of the reward network suggesting dysregulation of the dopaminergic pathway. Additionally, greater connectivity in the locus coeruleus could indicate that the maladaptive food behaviors displayed by individuals with food addiction serve as a coping mechanism in response to pathological anxiety and stress. Sex differences in functional connectivity suggest that females with food addiction engage more in emotional overeating and less cognitive control and homeostatic processing compared to males. These mechanistic pathways may have clinical implications for understanding the sex-dependent variability in response to diet interventions.
肥胖的功能神经影像学研究已经确定了奖励网络内连接的改变,导致摄食行为的体内平衡控制降低。然而,肥胖症中食物成瘾的性别差异的神经机制尚不清楚。本研究的目的是确定与以下方面相关的功能连接变化:(1)食物成瘾,(2)食物成瘾的性别差异,(3)摄食行为。150 名参与者(女性:N=103,男性:N=47;食物成瘾:N=40,无食物成瘾:N=110),BMI 高(≥25kg/m2),进行了功能静息态 MRI。参与者接受了耶鲁食物成瘾量表(YFAS)测试,以确定食物成瘾的诊断标准(YFAS 症状计数≥3,伴有临床显著的损害或痛苦),并完成了摄食行为问卷。使用 CONN 工具箱中的一般线性模型分析连接差异,并使用 Schaefer 400、哈佛-牛津皮质下和上升唤醒网络图谱对图像进行分段。对显著连接和临床变量进行了相关性分析。对多重比较进行了 q<0.05 的校正。(1)与无食物成瘾者相比,有食物成瘾者的脑干区域与眶额回之间的连接更强。(2)与有食物成瘾的男性相比,有食物成瘾的女性在突显和情绪调节网络中的连接更强,而默认模式网络和中央执行网络之间的连接更弱。(3)奖励网络区域之间的连接增加与一般食物渴望问卷特质的得分呈正相关,表明有食物成瘾者的食物渴望更大。有食物成瘾者的奖励网络区域之间的连接更强,表明多巴胺能通路的失调。此外,蓝斑核的连接增强可能表明,有食物成瘾者的适应不良的食物行为是对病理性焦虑和压力的一种应对机制。功能连接的性别差异表明,与男性相比,有食物成瘾的女性更多地进行情绪性暴食,而较少进行认知控制和体内平衡处理。这些机制途径可能对理解饮食干预的性别依赖性变异性具有临床意义。
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