Summary
Background
Neuroimaging studies have identified obesity‐related differences in the brain’s resting state activity. An imbalance between homeostatic and reward aspects of ingestive behavior may contribute to obesity and food addiction. The interactions between early life adversity (ELA), the reward network, and food addiction were investigated to identify obesity and sex‐related differences, that may drive obesity and food addiction.
Methods
Functional resting state MRI was acquired in 186 participants (High body mass index [BMI]: ≥25: 53F, 54M; Normal BMI: 18.50‐24.99: 49F, 30M). Participants completed questionnaires to assess ELA (Early Traumatic Inventory), and food addiction (Yale Food Addiction Scale). A tripartite network analyses based on graph theory was used to investigate the interaction between ELA, brain connectivity, and food addiction. Interactions were determined by computing Spearman rank correlations, thresholded at q<.05 corrected for multiple comparisons.
Results
Participants with high BMI demonstrate an association between ELA and food addiction, with reward regions playing a role in this interaction. Among females with high BMI, increased ELA was associated with increased centrality of reward and emotion‐regulation regions. Males with high BMI showed associations between ELA and food addiction with somatosensory regions playing a role in this interaction.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that ELA may alter brain networks leading to increased vulnerability for food addiction and obesity later in life. These alterations are sex‐specific and involve brain regions influenced by dopaminergic or serotonergic signaling.