Review Article

The Relationship between Executive Function and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review

Table 3

Association between BMI and brain imaging of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (PFC).

Brain regionParticipant ageMeasure usedFindingsSource

DLPFC9–18 yrsActivation response before meal and after meal to pleasant, neutral, or food images (fMRI)O/OW showed greater activation in DLPFC (before meal) and less reduction of activation in PFC (after meal) compared to HW in response to food imagesBruce et al. (2010) [36]; Davids et al. (2010) [56]
DLPFC14–16 yrsActivation in response to milkshake receipt, milkshake anticipation, and food images (fMRI)Dietary restraint scores positively correlated with activation in bilateral DLPFC in response to milkshake receipt
Burger and Stice 2011
OFC9–18 yrsActivation response before meal and after meal to pleasant, neutral, or food images (fMRI)O/OW showed greater OFC activation versus HW (after meal)Bruce et al. (2010) [36]; Davids et al. (2010) [56]
OFC10–14 yrsActivation while viewing food and nonfood logosO/OW had significantly less activation versus healthy weight in response to food logos
Bruce et al. (2012) [57]
OFC14–16 yrsActivation response during Go/No-Go Task (fMRI)Negative correlation between BMI and level of OFC activation during taskBatterink et al. (2010) [46]
OFC14–16 yrsActivation in response to milkshake receipt, milkshake anticipation, and food images (fMRI)Dietary restraint scores positively correlated with activation in right OFC in response to milkshake receipt
Burger and Stice 2011
OFC14–17 yrsActivation in response to most and least appetizing food images subject previously rated (fMRI)BMI correlated positively with activation during initial orientation to food cues and predicted future increases in BMI
Yokum et al. (2011) [58]
OFC15–19 yrsMagnetic resonance imagingBMI negatively correlated with OFC volume and positively correlated with greater number of commission errorsMaayan et al. (2011) [12]