Neuroanatomical correlates of food addiction and obesity in the general population

Abstract

The food addiction model suggests neurobiological similarities between substance-related and addictive disorders and obesity. While structural brain differences have been consistently reported in these conditions, little is known about the neuroanatomical correlates of food addiction. We therefore assessed whether food addiction, assessed with the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), related to obesity, personality and brain structure in a large population-based sample (n=625; 20-59 years old, 45% women). A higher YFAS symptom score correlated with obesity and disinhibited eating. In a whole-brain analysis, YFAS symptom score was not associated with cortical thickness nor subcortical gray matter volumes. Higher body mass index (BMI) correlated with reduced thickness of (pre)frontal, temporal and occipital cortex. Bayes factor analysis suggested that BMI and -to a smaller extent -YFAS symptom score contributed independently to right lateral orbitofrontal cortex thickness. Our study shows that food addiction is not associated with neuroanatomical differences in a large population-based sample, and does not account for the major part of obesity-associated gray matter alterations. Yet, food addiction might explain additional variance in orbitofrontal cortex, a hub area of the reward network. Longitudinal studies implementing both anatomical and functional MRI could further disentangle the neural mechanisms of addictive eating behaviors.

Mechanisms linking obesity and its metabolic comorbidities with cerebral grey and white matter changes

“…Obesity has been associated with lower grey matter volume [11] and diminished cortical thickness [12]. The medial prefrontal cortex/orbitofrontal cortex, and temporal areas, such as the temporal pole, are some of the brain regions showing consistent reductions in volume and thickness associated with obesity in cross-sectional studies [8,[13][14][15][16][17] (Figure 1A). Moreover, studies on obesity using longitudinal designs have also reported alterations in grey matter.…”

From Nutrigenomics to Microbiomics: New Interpretations

“…To complete the discussion of the treatment of food produced by industry, we need to address the debated and controversial issue of food addiction. Food is a vital biological necessity and is one of the most complete and complex sensory stimulation systems with olfactory, visual, tactile, and gustatory stimuli that act simultaneously on different nerve centers and reward physiological needs [28].…”

“…[*] The agri-food industry is the leading manufacturing sector in the EU (with over EUR 1 trillion in turnover, 30 billion in trade surplus, 4.24 million in employment [28]. The interests at stake, inevitably, are carried forward by opposing sides on different sides.…”

Effects of bariatric surgery on functional connectivity of the reward and default mode network: a pre-registered analysis

“…We first estimated their effects in a model adjusting for baseline age and sex (model EA1) and then additionally controlling for logmFD (model EA2). As we previously reported correlated change in BMI and head motion in this sample (Beyer et al, 2019), we explored a refined model including average BMI and logmFD and change in both measures, along with baseline age and sex (model EA3). Here, we aimed to see whether any effect of change in BMI would be detectable when adjusting for the change in head motion.…”