Greater Emotional Eating Scores Associated with Reduced Frontolimbic Activation to Palatable Taste in Adolescents

ObjectiveThis study examined the relation between self-reported emotional eating scores and frontolimbic brain response to palatable taste in adolescents. MethodsParticipants included 162 adolescents (mean BMI percentile=52.7, range 3-90). Participants completed a self-report survey assessing emotional eating and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing pictures signaling subsequent delivery of a chocolate milkshake or a control taste and receiving the corresponding taste. ResultsResults revealed no significant relation between emotional eating scores and brain response to anticipation of receipt of milkshake. In response to milkshake taste receipt, emotional eating scores were negatively related to activation in the right thalamus, the left insula and orbitofrontal cortex, and bilateral putamen and caudate. These findings remained significant after controlling for body mass index and body fat percentage. ConclusionsThe current results are discussed in the context of findings of reduced reward activation to palatable taste receipt in obese adults and adolescents.