Neuroimaging and neuromodulation approaches to study eating behavior and prevent and treat eating disorders and obesity

• Published in: NeuroImage clinical Vol. 8; no. C; pp. 1 - 31
• Main Authors: Val-Laillet, D., Aarts, E., Weber, B., Ferrari, M., Quaresima, V., Stoeckel, L.E., Alonso-Alonso, M., Audette, M., Malbert, C.H., Stice, E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier Inc 01.01.2015; Elsevier
• Subjects: Brain; Brain - physiopathology; Eating disorders; Electric Stimulation Therapy - methods; Electroencephalography - methods; Feeding and Eating Disorders - physiopathology; Feeding and Eating Disorders - prevention & control; Feeding and Eating Disorders - therapy; Feeding Behavior - physiology; Human; Humans; Life Sciences; Neurofeedback - methods; Neuroimaging; Neuroimaging - methods; Neuromodulation; Obesity; Obesity - physiopathology; Obesity - prevention & control; Obesity - therapy; Radiology; Review; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation - methods; aCC; Brain; HFD; TRD; HD-tDCS; PFC; STN; Neuromodulation; lPFC; DBS; tRNS; DBT; BOLD; VNS; ED; VBM; Human; rCBF; Obesity; EEG; vlPFC; AN; fMRI; daCC; dlPFC; DTI; dTMS; VN; O2Hb; MER; 5-HT; VS; Neuroimaging; ADHD; VTA; LHA; CBF; ANT; vmPFC; tACS; OFC; SPECT; MRS; BS; pCC; Cg25; BMI; BED; fNIRS; HHb; Eating disorders; GP; CCK; B N; vmH; Nac; OCD; PYY; PD; BAT; tDCS; DAT; rtfMRI; TMS; DA; rTMS; PET; Parkinson's disease; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; magnetic resonance spectroscopy; eating disorders; transcranial magnetic stimulation; serotonin; O 2Hb; transcranial random noise stimulation; orbitofrontal cortex; transcranial alternate current stimulation; anterior cingulate cortex; bulimia nervosa; subgenual cingulate cortex; blood oxygenation level dependent; treatment-resistant depression; cerebral blood flow; cholecystokinin; deoxygenated-hemoglobin; obsessive–compulsive disorder; dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; vagus nerve; binge eating disorder; deep brain therapy; ventromedial hypothalamus; vagus nerve stimulation; lateral prefrontal cortex; dopamine transporter; brown adipose tissue; ventromedial prefrontal cortex; regional cerebral blood flow; dopamine; ventral striatum; peptide tyrosine tyrosine; anterior nucleus of the thalamus; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; transcranial direct current stimulation; ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; globus pallidus; repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; body mass index; single photon emission computed tomography; nucleus accumbens; deep brain stimulation; ventral tegmental area; functional near-infrared spectroscopy; subthalamic nucleus; high-fat diet; diffusion tensor imaging; functional magnetic resonance imaging; prefrontal cortex; lateral hypothalamus; anorexia nervosa; oxygenated-hemoglobin; posterior cingulate cortex; electroencephalography; microelectrode recording; bariatric surgery; deep transcranial magnetic stimulation; voxel-based morphometry; real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging; high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation; positron emission tomography; VN, vagus nerve; DBS, deep brain stimulation; VS, ventral striatum; rtfMRI, real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging; tDCS, transcranial direct current stimulation; TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation; STN, subthalamic nucleus; VBM, voxel-based morphometry; BMI, body mass index; BED, binge eating disorder; GP, globus pallidus; tACS, transcranial alternate current stimulation; MRS, magnetic resonance spectroscopy; pCC, posterior cingulate cortex; HD-tDCS, high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation; DA, dopamine; DAT, dopamine transporter; PET, positron emission tomography; HHb, deoxygenated-hemoglobin; OFC, orbitofrontal cortex; SPECT, single photon emission computed tomography; CCK, cholecystokinin; fMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging; tRNS, transcranial random noise stimulation; CBF, cerebral blood flow; B N, bulimia nervosa; EEG, electroencephalography; PD, Parkinson's disease; BOLD, blood oxygenation level dependent; ANT, anterior nucleus of the thalamus; TRD, treatment-resistant depression; dlPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; ED, eating disorders; VNS, vagus nerve stimulation; OCD, obsessive–compulsive disorder; PFC, prefrontal cortex; Nac, nucleus accumbens; ADHD, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; Cg25, subgenual cingulate cortex; LHA, lateral hypothalamus; VTA, ventral tegmental area; fNIRS, functional near-infrared spectroscopy; aCC, anterior cingulate cortex; HFD, high-fat diet; 5-HT, serotonin; dTMS, deep transcranial magnetic stimulation; rCBF, regional cerebral blood flow; O2Hb, oxygenated-hemoglobin; lPFC, lateral prefrontal cortex; BS, bariatric surgery; AN, anorexia nervosa; BAT, brown adipose tissue; vmH, ventromedial hypothalamus; DBT, deep brain therapy; PYY, peptide tyrosine tyrosine; daCC, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex; MER, microelectrode recording; vlPFC, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex; vmPFC, ventromedial prefrontal cortex; DTI, diffusion tensor imaging; rTMS, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation; comportement alimentaire; trouble alimentaire; human health; hyperphagia; homme; cerveau; imagerie cerebrale; obésité; fonction cérébrale; santé humaine; food habits; human
• ISSN: 2213-1582; 2213-1582
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2015.03.016

Functional, molecular and genetic neuroimaging has highlighted the existence of brain anomalies and neural vulnerability factors related to obesity and eating disorders such as binge eating or anorexia nervosa. In particular, decreased basal metabolism in the prefrontal cortex and striatum as well as dopaminergic alterations have been described in obese subjects, in parallel with increased activation of reward brain areas in response to palatable food cues. Elevated reward region responsivity may trigger food craving and predict future weight gain. This opens the way to prevention studies using functional and molecular neuroimaging to perform early diagnostics and to phenotype subjects at risk by exploring different neurobehavioral dimensions of the food choices and motivation processes. In the first part of this review, advantages and limitations of neuroimaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), pharmacogenetic fMRI and functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) will be discussed in the context of recent work dealing with eating behavior, with a particular focus on obesity. In the second part of the review, non-invasive strategies to modulate food-related brain processes and functions will be presented. At the leading edge of non-invasive brain-based technologies is real-time fMRI (rtfMRI) neurofeedback, which is a powerful tool to better understand the complexity of human brain–behavior relationships. rtfMRI, alone or when combined with other techniques and tools such as EEG and cognitive therapy, could be used to alter neural plasticity and learned behavior to optimize and/or restore healthy cognition and eating behavior. Other promising non-invasive neuromodulation approaches being explored are repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS). Converging evidence points at the value of these non-invasive neuromodulation strategies to study basic mechanisms underlying eating behavior and to treat its disorders. Both of these approaches will be compared in light of recent work in this field, while addressing technical and practical questions. The third part of this review will be dedicated to invasive neuromodulation strategies, such as vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS). In combination with neuroimaging approaches, these techniques are promising experimental tools to unravel the intricate relationships between homeostatic and hedonic brain circuits. Their potential as additional therapeutic tools to combat pharmacorefractory morbid obesity or acute eating disorders will be discussed, in terms of technical challenges, applicability and ethics. In a general discussion, we will put the brain at the core of fundamental research, prevention and therapy in the context of obesity and eating disorders. First, we will discuss the possibility to identify new biological markers of brain functions. Second, we will highlight the potential of neuroimaging and neuromodulation in individualized medicine. Third, we will introduce the ethical questions that are concomitant to the emergence of new neuromodulation therapies. •We review the neural vulnerability factors related to obesity and eating disorders.•We compare the pros and cons of neuroimaging techniques to study eating behavior.•We present non-invasive strategies to modulate food-related brain processes.•We also present invasive neuromodulation methods such as VNS and DBS.•We discuss about neuroimaging and neuromodulation for prevention and therapy.