Unraveling the gut-brain connection: The association of microbiota-linked structural brain biomarkers with behavior and mental health.

Aim: The gut microbiota can influence human behavior. However, due to the massive multiple-testing problem, research into the relationship between microbiome ecosystems and the human brain faces drawbacks. This problem arises when attempting to correlate thousands of gut bacteria with thousands of brain voxels.

Increased brain fractional perfusion in obesity using intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) MRI metrics.

Objective: This research seeks to shed light on the associations between brain perfusion, cognitive function, and mental health in individuals with and without obesity.

Methods: In this study, we employed the noninvasive intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique to examine brain fractional perfusion (FP) in two groups: individuals with obesity (N = 72) and healthy controls (N = 66). Additionally, we investigated potential associations between FP, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms in the participants with and without obesity.

The nature of memory impairment in multiple sclerosis: understanding different patterns over the course of the disease.

Introduction: Memory deficit is one of the most common and severe cognitive impairments in patients with multiple sclerosis and can greatly affect their quality of life. However, there is currently no agreement as to the nature of memory deficit in multiple sclerosis.

Methods: This cross-sectional study, carried out at the Dr.

Binge-Eating Precursors in Children and Adolescents: Neurodevelopment, and the Potential Contribution of Ultra-Processed Foods.

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is a highly prevalent disorder. Subthreshold BED conditions (sBED) are even more frequent in youth, but their significance regarding BED etiology and long-term prognosis is unclear. A better understanding of brain findings associated with BED and sBED, in the context of critical periods for neurodevelopment, is relevant to answer such questions.

Consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with depression, mesocorticolimbic volume, and inflammation.

Background: The consumption of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) has been associated with depression and inflammation and preclinical studies showed that some UPF components disrupt the amygdala-hippocampal complex. We combine diet, clinical and brain imaging data to investigate the relationship between the UPF consumption, depressive symptoms, and brain volumes in humans, considering interactions with obesity, and the mediation effect of inflammation biomarkers.

Methods: One-hundred fifty-two adults underwent diet, depressive symptoms, anatomic magnetic resonance imaging assessments and laboratory tests.

Early life factors and hippocampal functional connectivity in children with overweight/obesity.

Objective: We investigated the association of anthropometric neonatal data (birth length and birth weight) and breastfeeding practices (exclusive and any breastfeeding) with hippocampal functional connectivity and its academic implication in children with overweight/obesity.

Methods: Ninety six children with overweight/obesity aged 8-11 years (10.01 ± 1.

Ultra-Processed Foods and Drinks Consumption Is Associated with Psychosocial Functioning in Adolescents.

Adolescents show one of the highest rates of ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) consumption, and studies indicate an association between their consumption and internalizing problems. We aim to investigate whether UPF consumption associates with dysfunctions in other psychosocial domains, as well as sex effects. In 560 Spanish adolescents (14-17 years old), we assessed the UPF products consumed in the previous day, fruits and vegetables consumption (servings/day), and physical activity (days/week).

Neurogenetics of Dynamic Connectivity Patterns Associated With Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Healthy Children.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs) during childhood predispose to obsessive-compulsive disorder and have been associated with changes in brain circuits altered in obsessive-compulsive disorder samples. OCSs may arise from disturbed glutamatergic neurotransmission, impairing cognitive oscillations and promoting overstable functional states.

Methods: A total of 227 healthy children completed the Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging examination.

Dissecting ultra-processed foods and drinks: Do they have a potential to impact the brain?

Ultra-processed foods and drinks (UPF) are formulation of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, that result from a series of industrial processes. They usually have a low nutrient but high energy density, with a high content of saturated and trans fats, and added sugars. In addition, they have characteristic organoleptic properties, and usually contain sophisticated additives, including artificial sweeteners, to intensify their sensory qualities and imitate the appearance of minimally processed foods.

Obesity status and obesity-associated gut dysbiosis effects on hypothalamic structural covariance.

Background: Functional connectivity alterations in the lateral and medial hypothalamic networks have been associated with the development and maintenance of obesity, but the possible impact on the structural properties of these networks remains largely unexplored. Also, obesity-related gut dysbiosis may delineate specific hypothalamic alterations within obese conditions. We aim to assess the effects of obesity, and obesity and gut-dysbiosis on the structural covariance differences in hypothalamic networks, executive functioning, and depressive symptoms.

Endocannabinoid signaling of homeostatic status modulates functional connectivity in reward and salience networks.

Rationale: Endocannabinoids are well poised to regulate crosstalk between energy sensing of hunger and satiety and reward-driven motivation.

Objectives: Here, we aimed to unravel associations between plasma endocannabinoids and brain connectivity in homeostatic and reward circuits across hunger and satiety states.

Methods: Fifteen participants (7 females) underwent two counter-balanced resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans, one after overnight fasting and one after consumption of a standardized filling meal (satiety).

Obesity-associated deficits in inhibitory control are phenocopied to mice through gut microbiota changes in one-carbon and aromatic amino acids metabolic pathways.

Background: Inhibitory control (IC) is critical to keep long-term goals in everyday life. Bidirectional relationships between IC deficits and obesity are behind unhealthy eating and physical exercise habits.

Methods: We studied gut microbiome composition and functionality, and plasma and faecal metabolomics in association with cognitive tests evaluating inhibitory control (Stroop test) and brain structure in a discovery (n=156), both cross-sectionally and longitudinally, and in an independent replication cohort (n=970).

Obesity Impairs Short-Term and Working Memory through Gut Microbial Metabolism of Aromatic Amino Acids.

The gut microbiome has been linked to fear extinction learning in animal models. Here, we aimed to explore the gut microbiome and memory domains according to obesity status. A specific microbiome profile associated with short-term memory, working memory, and the volume of the hippocampus and frontal regions of the brain differentially in human subjects with and without obesity.

Brain Functional Connectivity Correlates of Subclinical Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms in Healthy Children.

Objective: Commonly observed subclinical obsessive-compulsive symptoms in healthy children may predispose to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Therefore, investigating the underlying neurobiology may be relevant to identify alterations in specific brain circuits potentially accounting for clinical heterogeneity in OCD without the confounding effects of clinical samples. We analyzed the brain correlates of different obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a large group of healthy children using functional connectivity measures.

Stressing diets? Amygdala networks, cumulative cortisol, and weight loss in adolescents with excess weight.

Objective: The amygdala is importantly involved in stress and obesity, but its role on weight change and diet-related stress remains unexplored among adolescents with excess weight. We aimed to examine the functional connectivity of the Central and Basolateral amygdala nuclei (CeA and BLA) among adolescents, and to explore the longitudinal association between brain connectivity measures and diet-related cortisol and weight loss in adolescents with excess weight.

Methods: We compared resting-state functional connectivity between adolescents with excess (EW, N = 34; Age = 16.

Neural-based valuation of functional foods among lean and obese individuals.

Functional foods may contribute to establish healthy eating habits and reduce obesity and related comorbidities. Differences in the brain mechanisms underpinning the valuation of functional foods in individuals with excess weight may inform the development of attractive functional foods. We aimed to compare brain function during the Willingness to Pay task for functional vs standard foods between individuals with healthy weight (HW), overweight (OW), and obesity (OB).

The neural interface between negative emotion regulation and motivation for change in cocaine dependent individuals under treatment.

Background: Emotion regulation is important for cocaine addiction treatment success, particularly during early abstinence. In addition, the neural underpinnings of emotion processing overlap with those of motivation and goal-directed behavior. We examined if the neural underpinnings of emotion maintenance and its regulation correlate with cocaine treatment motivation.

Food Addiction Symptoms and Amygdala Response in Fasted and Fed States.

Few studies have investigated the underlying neural substrates of food addiction (FA) in humans using a recognised assessment tool. In addition, no studies have investigated subregions of the amygdala (basolateral (BLA) and central amygdala), which have been linked to reward-seeking behaviours, susceptibility to weight gain, and promoting appetitive behaviours, in the context of FA. This pilot study aimed to explore the association between FA symptoms and activation in the BLA and central amygdala via functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), in response to visual food cues in fasted and fed states.

Glycated Hemoglobin, but not Insulin Sensitivity, is Associated with Memory in Subjects with Obesity.

Objective: Obesity has been related to later-life dementia. Serum glucose levels and insulin resistance are known to influence cognition in individuals with diabetes. This study aimed to evaluate memory function in middle-aged individuals with obesity in association with glucose metabolism and brain iron content.

Hypothalamic Networks in Adolescents With Excess Weight: Stress-Related Connectivity and Associations With Emotional Eating.

Objective: Adolescents with excess weight are particularly sensitive to stress, which may contribute to the presence of emotional eating behaviors. It is proposed that this may be due to alterations in the connectivity between hypothalamic networks and regions of the "emotional nervous system," involved in the regulation of energy balance and stress processing. However, this remains to be clarified in adolescents with excess weight.

Fitness, cortical thickness and surface area in overweight/obese children: The mediating role of body composition and relationship with intelligence.

Cortical thickness and surface area are thought to be genetically unrelated and shaped by independent neurobiological events suggesting that they should be considered separately in morphometric analyses. Although the developmental trajectories of cortical thickness and surface area may differ across brain regions and ages, there is no consensus regarding the relationships of physical fitness with cortical thickness and surface area as well as for its subsequent influence on intelligence. Thus, this study examines: (i) the associations of physical fitness components (i.

Brain Volumetric Correlates of Right Unilateral Versus Bitemporal Electroconvulsive Therapy for Treatment-Resistant Depression.

Objective: The selection of a bitemporal (BT) or right unilateral (RUL) electrode placement affects the efficacy and side effects of ECT. Previous studies have not entirely described the neurobiological underpinnings of such differential effects. Recent neuroimaging research on gray matter volumes is contributing to our understanding of the mechanism of action of ECT and could clarify the differential mechanisms of BT and RUL ECT.

Food addiction linked to changes in ventral striatum functional connectivity between fasting and satiety.

Introduction: The concept of "food addiction" (FA) has gained popularity in view of clinical and neurobiological overlaps between excessive food intake and addictive disorders. However, no studies have examined the link between FA and striatocortical circuits involved in addictive disorders, or the influence of homeostatic status, which regulates the drive to eat, on these systems. This study aims to investigate changes in striatal functional connectivity between fasted and fed conditions among adults ranging in body mass index (BMI) and FA symptoms.

The contribution of brain imaging to the understanding of psychopathy.

Psychopathy is a personality type characterized by both callous emotional dysfunction and deviant behavior that affects society in the form of actions that harm others. Historically, researchers have been concerned with seeking data and arguments to support a neurobiological foundation of psychopathy. In the past few years, increasing research has begun to reveal brain alterations putatively underlying the enigmatic psychopathic personality.

Visceral adiposity and insular networks: associations with food craving.

Background/objectives: Accumulation of visceral adiposity can disrupt the brain's sensitivity to interoceptive feedback, which is coded in the insula. This study aimed to test the link between visceral fat and the functional connectivity of two insulae regions relevant for eating behavior: the middle-dorsal insula (mIns), which codes homeostatic changes, and the rostral insula (rIns), which codes stable representations of food properties. We also assessed the impact of visceral adiposity-associated insulae networks on food craving.