Affect Regulation Modulates Brain Response to Food Pictures in Obese Participants

Abstract

The present study uses functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate whether differences in self-reported emotion regulatory ability are associated with differential patterns of responding to food images. Thirty-five obese individuals were scanned while viewing images of food (Food) and animals (Nonfood) both in both fasted (Pre-meal) and fed (Post-meal) states. Emotion regulation was measured using The Emotion Amplification and Reduction Scales (TEARS), and a subset of the participants were chosen for analyses based on a quartile split of the subscale (Amplification, Reduction) scores, resulting in High and Low TEARS Reduction (HTR, LTR) and High and Low TEARS Amplification (HTA, LTA) groups. HTR versus LTR group differences were found in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). HTA versus LTA group differences were found in OFC, lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Findings suggest that differences in emotion regulatory ability are related to differential brain response to food and hunger.