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Determining the Functional Brain Networks that Underlie Children’s Overeating and Adiposity Gain

Award Number: F31DK131868
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

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Determining the Functional Brain Networks that Underlie Children’s Overeating and Adiposity Gain - Project Summary Childhood obesity is a global pandemic associated with negative physical and psychosocial health outcomes4, and behavioral interventions to prevent childhood obesity produce small and variable effects5. Increased eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) has been identified as an obesogenic eating phenotype in children6, but the mechanisms that contribute to increased EAH prior to the development of obesity are unclear. A better understanding of the mechanisms that engender increased EAH and weight gain in children is critical to the development of more effective obesity prevention programs. Overeating is posited to result from an imbalance in brain regions involved in food cue reactivity and reward processing (i.e., a reactive system) with those involved in inhibition and cognitive control (i.e., a regulatory system)7–12. However, the patterns of functional connectivity between these neural systems which increase overeating and risk for obesity are unclear. Building on my sponsor’s R01 study, which is designed to examine neural and cognitive predictors of adiposity gain in children 7-8 years old who vary by familial risk for obesity, this proposal aims to identify the functional connectivity patterns (i.e., neural network properties) between reactive and regulatory brain systems that underlie EAH and adiposity gain. It is hypothesized that weaker connectivity between the reactive and regulatory system, and stronger connectivity within the reactive system, will be related to greater EAH and adiposity gain in children. To test these hypotheses, neuroimaging (fMRI) data collected during exposure to food cues will be used alongside food intake data from a laboratory assessment of EAH, during which children are offered a variety of palatable snack foods after eating a standard meal to fullness. Anthropomorphic assessments of adiposity will be collected at baseline and 1-year follow-up using dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Innovative network analyses and advanced statistical methods will be used to identify and characterize child-specific neural networks from a priori “reactive” and “regulatory” brain regions of interest. Innovations offered by this proposal are (1) the use of sophisticated quantitative techniques to examine children’s neural networks during exposure to food cues and (2) the integration of network analyses with objectively-assessed hedonic eating and longitudinal measures of adiposity, which together will provide novel insight into the neural factors that promote overeating and risk for weight gain during the vulnerable pre-adolescent period. In addition, the inter-disciplinary mentorship team assembled in this proposal will provide rigorous training in experimental design for ingestive behavior research, neural network analyses, and scientific communication that will help advance my career as an independent researcher. The proposed study will enhance our understanding of the neural mechanisms supporting overeating and adiposity gain, which will inform the development of interventions to mitigate excess energy intake and the development of obesity.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = -$8,511 )
2025	2023	THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY	201 OLD MAIN	UNIVERSITY PARK	PA	16802	CENTRE	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	2	12/20/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$8,511
														Subtotal = -$8,511

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$11,543 )
2024	2023	THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY	201 OLD MAIN	UNIVERSITY PARK	PA	16802	CENTRE	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	2	4/3/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$11,543
														Subtotal = -$11,543

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $38,490 )
2023	2023	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	201 OLD MAIN	UNIVERSITY PARK	PA	16802	CENTRE	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	2	6/27/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$38,490
														Subtotal = $38,490

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $37,548 )
2022	2022	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	201 OLD MAIN	UNIVERSITY PARK	PA	16802	CENTRE	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	1	6/28/2022	NEW	$0
2022	2022	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	201 OLD MAIN	UNIVERSITY PARK	PA	16802	CENTRE	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	6/28/2022	NEW	$37,548
2022	2022	PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY, THE	201 OLD MAIN	UNIVERSITY PARK	PA	16802	CENTRE	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	002	1	7/13/2022	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $37,548

Grand Total All Awards = $55,984

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Determining the Functional Brain Networks that Underlie Children’s Overeating and Adiposity Gain

Award Number: F31DK131868

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

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