Prefrontal systems involvement in binge eating

In this study, Boeka & Lokken (2011) wanted to find out whether severity of binge eating is related to the impairment of behaviors mediated by the 3 main areas of the prefrontal cortex (PFC of the brain). Participants completed the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale (FrSBe) to assess the neurobehavioral traits associated with the three primary regions of the PFC corresponding with the behavioral traits of apathy, disinhibition, and executive dysfunction. Among the sample size of 151 adults (with an average BMI of 49.5), the Binge Eating Disorder (BED) group (n=22) and the Binge Eating Prone (BEP) group (n=47) scored significantly higher than the non-Eating Disorder (non-ED) group (n=82) on the three FrSBe subscales and the FrSBe Total score. However, there were no significant links between the FrSBe and the subjects’ BMIs. To summarize, the data increased prefrontal cortex dysfunction in the binge-eaters than those who did not binge eat. The overall results provide further evidence of the role that prefrontal systems have in the control of dietary behavior. [NPID: cognition, binge eating, prefrontal cortex, apathy, disinhibition, executive dysfunction, eating disorders, dietary control, control]

Year: 2011

Reference: Boeka, A. G., & Lokken, K. L. (2011). Prefrontal systems involvement in binge eating. Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 16(2), e121–e126. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03325317

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