Neuronal inhibitory mechanisms in overweight/obesity and food/eating addiction: The role of frontal brain coherence, dysregulated eating, and depressive symptoms

Background and aims: Obesity and food/eating addiction are associated with deficits in inhibitory control mechanisms manifested in the lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC) bilaterally. We explored abnormalities in the functional coherence between the hemispheres and within each of them. Methods: Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) was utilized to examine intra- and inter-hemispheric frontal brain coherence in individuals with obesity and food/eating addiction (FAOB, n = 27), those with obesity without addiction (Non-FAOB, n = 11), and healthy controls (HC, n = 15). Participants were included in this study following assessment of their BMI and Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) scores. In addition, depressive symptoms were measured with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Individuals with obesity (FAOB and Non-FAOB combined) exhibited higher interhemispheric frontal (IF) and right frontal (RF) coherence compared to healthy controls. Within the obesity group, Non-FAOB participants showed higher IF and RF coherence than the FAOB group. These results remained significant after controlling for BDI scores. Depressive symptoms in the FAOB group were higher than those of the HC group. Discussion: Elevated frontal coherence, both between the frontal hemispheres and within the right frontal hemisphere, may be associated with effortful cognitive control and possibly a compensatory neurocognitive correlate associated with differential susceptibility to developing addictive-like overeating. Conclusions: Frontal brain coherence patterns represent candidate neurophysiological correlates of differential vulnerability to addictive-like overeating in individuals with overweight/obesity and warrant longitudinal investigation to establish their prognostic value.