Mixed
Obesity is associated with disrupted functional brain network organization, specifically weakened connectivity in the executive control network (ECN) and enhanced connectivity in the salience (SN) and default mode networks (DMN), which correlates with impairments in self-regulation and reward valuation.
Recognize that obesity involves changes in brain networks that affect self-control and reward processing. This is not a moral failing but a biological factor that can be targeted. Interventions that specifically train self-regulation and attentional control may be more effective than standard advice alone, as these neural patterns are modifiable.
Weight-related differences in task-evoked and resting-state connectivity have most frequently been noted in the executive control network (ECN), salience network (SN) and default mode network (DMN), with obesity generally being associated with weakened connectivity in the ECN and enhanced connectivity in the SN and DMN.
Why this rating
The paper is a narrative review summarizing cross-sectional studies; causality is explicitly noted as unresolved.
Source
A review of the relationship between eating behavior, obesity and functional brain network organization
Shannon D. Donofry et al. · Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience · 2019
DOI 10.1093/scan/nsz085
More from this paper
- Weight loss interventions, particularly meal replacement with reduced-calorie shakes, can rapidly modify functional brain connectivity, reducing the hyperconnectivity between reward-related regions (NAc, amygdala, OFC, insula) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) in response to food cues.Moderate
- Stronger baseline connectivity between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) predicts greater weight loss following a dietary intervention, suggesting that this neural pattern facilitates dietary impulse control.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
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