Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 22;14(1):24845. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-75520-z.
Food motivation varies between individuals, affecting body weight and risk for eating disorders. Prior neuroimaging studies in youth and adults have revealed functional and structural alterations in the anterior cingulate cortex [ACC] in those with obesity and disordered eating but have not investigated their neurochemical underpinnings. In a sample of 37 children aged 4 to 13 years old, we used Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy [MRS] to assess levels of γ-aminobutyric acid [GABA] - the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human brain - quantified relative to creatine in a 27-ml voxel including the dorsal ACC. We used the CEBQ to assess trait food motivation. In analyses adjusting for age, lower GABA+/Cr levels in the dorsal ACC were associated with higher trait enjoyment of food. Higher enjoyment of food scores were in turn associated with higher energy intake during an ad libitum test meal and during a postprandial task assessing intake in the absence of hunger, and higher body weight. Our results indicate a role for GABA function in the dorsal ACC in determining individual variation in food motivation in children.
食物动机在个体之间存在差异，影响体重和饮食失调的风险。先前针对青年人和成年人的神经影像学研究表明，肥胖和饮食失调者的前扣带皮层[ACC]存在功能和结构改变，但尚未研究其神经化学基础。在一个由 37 名 4 至 13 岁儿童组成的样本中，我们使用磁共振波谱[MRS]来评估γ-氨基丁酸[GABA]的水平 - 人类大脑中的主要抑制性神经递质 - 在包括背侧 ACC 的 27 毫升体素中相对于肌酸进行量化。我们使用 CEBQ 来评估特质食物动机。在调整年龄的分析中，背侧 ACC 中的 GABA+/Cr 水平较低与特质食物享受程度较高相关。较高的食物享受评分与自由进食测试餐期间和餐后任务期间的能量摄入较高相关，而在没有饥饿感的情况下，摄入较高，体重也较高。我们的研究结果表明，背侧 ACC 中的 GABA 功能在决定儿童个体食物动机的个体差异方面发挥作用。
