Eating behavior associated with gray matter volume alternations: A voxel based morphometry study.
Little is known about whether eating behavior is associated with alterations of brain structure or whether the possible alterations are related to body weight status. The current study employed structural imaging from an open MRI data set (http://fcon_1000.


METHODS
nitrc.org/indi/pro/nki.html) to examine the relationship between eating behavior traits and brain structural changes. The eating behavior traits were measured by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire Scale. The brain structural alterations were analyzed using the Voxel Based Morphometry (VBM) method, and a multiple linear regression model was constructed to identify significant brain structural changes that related to eating behavior factors. We found that cognitive restraint of eating was positively correlated with the gray matter volume (GMV) in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and negatively correlated with the GMV in the putamen; disinhibition scores were negatively associated with the GMV in the left middle frontal gyrus; hunger scores showed a positive correlation with the GMV in the hypothalamus and the visual memory areas and a negative association with the GMV in the inferior temporal gyrus and the bilateral middle frontal gyrus. These results indicated a close connection between the eating behavior traits and structural changes in particular brain regions. Conjunction analysis was also performed to further explore the brain structural alterations that were commonly associated with eating behavior and weight status. The findings add to our understanding of the neural basis underlying eating behaviors, and the connection between these behaviors and body weight status.
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Yancheng Hospital of Southeast University Medical College, Yancheng, 224000, China.
Lizheng
L
Yao
Department of Neurology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310000, China.
Wang
W
Li
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Yancheng Hospital of Southeast University Medical College, Yancheng, 224000, China.
Zhenyu
Z
Dai
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Yancheng Hospital of Southeast University Medical College, Yancheng, 224000, China. Electronic address: dcs351808@126.com.
Congsong
C
Dong
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001931:Brain Mapping; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000502:physiology; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; Eating behavior; Obesity; Three factor eating questionnaire; Voxel based morphometry