Prior research has found that food addiction is associated with reward-related neural differences, but research has yet to examine whether there are also neural differences in inhibitory control. This may be particularly relevant during adolescence as it is a key developmental period where difficulties in inhibitory control are more prevalent. The Yale Food Addiction Scale is a self-report questionnaire that applies substance use disorder diagnostic criteria to certain foods that has also been adapted for children. Here we investigate the association between addictive-like eating and brain functioning during inhibitory control in youth. Seventy-six right-handed participants 8.2–17.8 years (44 male) were recruited. Participants performed a go/no-go task during functional magnetic resonance imaging and completed the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children, after which they were categorized into two groups according to their scores (No Symptom Group = 0; YFAS-C Group: score ≥ 1). Inhibitory control was probed with a contrast of correct no-go versus go trials. An independent-samples t-test comparing groups revealed a significant difference in three primary clusters, all exclusively in the left hemisphere (No Symptom Group > YFAS-C Group): middle temporal gyrus/occipital gyrus, precuneus/calcarine sulcus, and inferior frontal gyrus. Specifically, the YFAS-C Group showed deactivation in all three clusters. Adolescents who endorse food addiction appear to show hypo-activation in response to the inhibitory control portion of a go/no-go task, which suggests possible inhibitory control difficulties.
Abstract
Summary
Adolescents who had experienced food addiction symptoms demonstrated less neural activation during successful inhibitory control compared to individuals who had not experienced any symptoms.
In summary, the current study is the first to investigate neural differences based on food addiction symptoms in adolescents. Adolescents who endorse food addiction appear to show hypo-activation in response to the inhibitory control portion of a go/no-go task, which suggests possible inhibitory control difficulties. These findings converge with research in adults where food addiction is associated with behavioral inhibition difficulties; they also indicate that at least some part of the process is in place earlier. However, it is important to note that the implications of adolescents endorsing food addiction symptoms are currently unknown, as this research is still relatively nascent. It is essential to investigate whether this predicts the development of clinical levels of food addiction and related problems (e.g. obesity, binge eating). This work suggests that interventions looking to increase inhibitory control in adolescents who endorse food addiction, such as neurofeedback and/or transcranial direct current stimulation, may be a promising future direction.
Neural correlates of inhibitory control in youth with symptoms of food addiction
Hardee, J. E., Phaneuf, C., Cope, L., Zucker, R., Gearhardt, A., & Heitzeg, M.
Participants were recruited from the Michigan Longitudinal Study, a prospective, multi-wave study of families with high levels of parental alcohol use disorder (AUD) and a contrast sample of nonalcoholic families. Exclusionary criteria included: neurological, acute, uncorrected, or chronic medical illness; current or recent (within 6 months) treatment with centrally active medications; and history of psychosis or schizophrenia in first-degree relatives, the presence of Axis I psychiatric or developmental disorders that would interfere with the interpretation of the data, and evidence of fetal alcohol effects. Neuroimaging data was collected every 1–2 years on a subset of these participants, starting between the ages of 7–12 years. The Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children (YFAS-C) was incorporated into the neuroimaging protocol and is collected after each fMRI scan. Parental AUD diagnosis was based on DSM-IV criteria and assessed by way of the Diagnostic Interview Schedule–Version 4, supplemented with the Drinking and Drug History. Offspring were assessed annually on substance use and related problems. Participants were categorized into two groups based on their symptom count scores on the YFAS-C: the No Food Addiction Symptom Group (NFAS Group) contained participants who scored 0 on the YFAS-C (n = 41), and the YFAS-C Group contained participants who endorsed ≥1 food addiction symptoms on the YFAS-C (n = 35). Groups were matched on age at fMRI scan. A go/no-go task was used to probe response inhibition. Participants were instructed to respond to target stimuli (letters other than X) by pressing a button (go trials) but make no response to infrequent non-target stimuli (letter X; no-go trials). Whole-brain blood oxygenated level-dependent images were acquired on a 3.0 T GE Signa scanner.
Methodology
Sample Size
76 right-handed individuals (44 males) [sic 32 females] aged 8.2–17.8 years participated in this study
Conclusion
In summary, the current study is the first to investigate neural differences based on food addiction symptoms in adolescents. Adolescents who endorse food addiction appear to show hypo-activation in response to the inhibitory control portion of a go/no-go task, which suggests possible inhibitory control difficulties. These findings converge with research in adults where food addiction is associated with behavioral inhibition difficulties; they also indicate that at least some part of the process is in place earlier. However, it is important to note that the implications of adolescents endorsing food addiction symptoms are currently unknown, as this research is still relatively nascent. It is essential to investigate whether this predicts the development of clinical levels of food addiction and related problems (e.g. obesity, binge
eating). This work suggests that interventions looking to increase inhibitory control in adolescents who endorse food addiction, such as neurofeedback and/or transcranial direct current stimulation, may be a
promising future direction.
URL
Key Words
Hardee, Jillian E., et al. “Neural Correlates of Inhibitory Control in Youth with Symptoms of Food Addiction.” Appetite, vol. 148, May 2020, p. 104578. DOI.org (Crossref), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104578.