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Alloveda Liver Update: Correlation of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Response to Visual Food Stimuli with Clinical Measures in Restrictive Eating Disorders

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eMediNexus    09 May 2020

There have been reports of limbic dysregulation in patients with restrictive eating disorders (EDs). A study recently evaluated the functional responses in brain systems to visual food stimuli and their correlation with psychological and behavioral outcomes.

In all, 18 females, 13-18 years of age, with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (n = 11) or atypical anorexia nervosa (n = 7), were subjected to functional magnetic resonance imaging during a visual food paradigm. Stimuli included four food types and one nonfood. Anxiety and disordered eating cognitions were evaluated with the help of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26). Analyses were performed to obtain contrasts among different food categories and assess their correlations with cognitive and behavioral scores.

Contrasts of foods versus nonfood led to positive responses in occipital regions and negative responses in temporal and parietal gyri. Particularly, contrast of sweets versus nonfood led to additional activation in the hippocampus. Contrasting sweet to nonsweet food led to activation of the orbitofrontal cortex and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Contrast of all foods versus nonfood had a positive correlation with State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-state scores in the orbitofrontal cortex and ACC. Sweet versus nonsweet contrast had a positive correlation with EAT-26 in ACC and other frontal areas.

Visual food stimuli were thus shown to elicit brain responses in limbic centers, and sweet foods extended activation to other limbic domains. Sweet food contrast had a correlation with EAT-26 in regions comprising the default mode network linked to introspection. It was finally concluded that visual food stimuli activate the limbic-regulating regions in patients with restrictive EDs that correlate with disordered-eating cognitions and behaviors.

Source: Ziv A, ODonnell JM, Ofei-Tenkorang N, et al. Correlation of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Response to Visual Food Stimuli With Clinical Measures in Adolescents With Restrictive Eating Disorders. J Adolesc Health. 2020 Apr 6. pii: S1054-139X(20)30056-2.

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