Restrained Eating Is Associated with Lower Cortical Thickness in the Inferior Frontal Gyrus in Adolescents

Abstract

Some eating patterns, such as restrained eating and uncontrolled eating, are risk factors for eating disorders. However, it is not yet clear whether they are associated with neurocognitive differences. In the current study, we analyzed whether eating patterns can be used to classify participants into meaningful clusters, and we examined whether there are neurocognitive differences between the clusters. Adolescents (n = 108; 12 to 17 years old) and adults (n = 175, 18 to 40 years old) completed the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire, which was used to classify participants according to their eating profile using k means clustering. Participants also completed personality questionnaires and a neuropsychological examination. A subsample of participants underwent a brain MRI acquisition. In both samples, we obtained a cluster characterized by high uncontrolled eating patterns, a cluster with high scores in restrictive eating, and a cluster with low scores in problematic eating behaviors. The clusters were equivalent with regards to personality and performance in executive functions. In adolescents, the cluster with high restrictive eating showed lower cortical thickness in the inferior frontal gyrus compared to the other two clusters. We hypothesize that this difference in cortical thickness represents an adaptive neural mechanism that facilitates inhibition processes.

Anorexia in Adolescents: A Narrative Review

“…Serious physical effects on the brain have also been noted in samples of anorexic adolescents. For example, in a study entitled "Restrained eating is associated with lower cortical thickness in the inferior frontal gyrus in adolescents", this negative effect was noted in a sample of 108 adolescents [42]. Similar findings were reported in a study entitled "Grey matter volume in adolescents with anorexia and associated eating disorders" [43].…”

Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth mental health: a cross-sectional study on eating disorder patients and their unaffected siblings

“…Interestingly, among the various constructs evaluated, the only EDE-Q subscale that significantly emerged was restraint eating, as predictor of COVID-related stressor. This psychopathological construct has previously been identified as a core feature among adolescent patients, with evidence pointing to neurobiological adaptive mechanisms related to inhibition processes [ 63 ] and its central role in ED psychopathology [ 64 ]. Moreover, restrictive thoughts have been highlighted as a robust bridge between EDs and posttraumatic psychopathologies, showing the possible effects that dysfunctional behaviors might have on modulation of symptomatology [ 65 ].…”

Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Behaviors: The Mediation Role of Smartphone Addiction and Depression

“…Smartphone addiction could be directly related to disordered eating behaviors. There are important neurocognitive similarities between addictive behavior (e.g., smartphone addiction) and eating dysregulation (e.g., restrained eating and external eating) [ 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 ]. For example, both smartphone addiction and disordered eating behaviors are related to higher reward sensitivity [ 51 , 53 ] and impulsivity [ 54 , 55 ].…”