执行功能与儿童流行性肥胖的关系

流行性肥胖被认为是由于能量摄入和能量消耗间长期的不平衡导致的一种反常的、脂肪堆积过多的状态, 近期研究发现执行功能与儿童流行性肥胖关系密切。与正常体重儿童相比, 肥胖儿童执行功能差主要体现在抑制控制上, 他们难以抑制对食物线索的注意, 并且更容易对其做出冲动反应, 表明他们干扰抑制中的注意抑制以及反应抑制存在不足。脑机制研究发现, 前额皮质(PFC)与肥胖关系密切, 肥胖被试对食物线索表现出较低的眼窝前额皮质(OFC)激活水平与较高的背外侧前额皮质(DLPFC)激活水平; 奖励回路也与肥胖密切相关, 肥胖或许是由PFC与奖励回路间复杂的相互作用引起的。执行功能与流行性肥胖之间可能是双向作用关系, 执行功能差可能是个体BMI增加的潜在因素, 而肥胖个体的体重减少在一定程度上则有助于其执行功能改善。少量对儿童肥胖的干预研究表明执行功能训练或许在减肥效果保持上有一定优势, 未来研究应当关注对执行功能, 尤其是抑制控制进行有效训练的方法, 并将其与其他干预方式结合, 更好地解决儿童流行性肥胖问题。

The Relationship between Executive Functions and Pediatric Obesity Epidemic

Obesity epidemic is regarded as an abnormal state of fat accumulation, caused by a long-term imbalance between energy intake and consumption. The latest research suggests that executive functions (EFs) relate closely with pediatric obesity. Compared with their healthy peers, obese children might be characterized by poor executive functions in terms of inhibitory control. Specifically, obese children can barely refrain from noticing food stimuli and easily respond to them, which indicates a shortage of attentional inhibition and response inhibition. Research on brain mechanism finds a close relationship between the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and obesity. Facing food stimuli, obese persons show a low activation level in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) yet a high activation level in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The mesolimbic dopamine system could also cause obesity by a complex interaction with the PFC. There is a possible bidirectional relationship between obesity and executive functions. Low levels of executive functions are a risk factor for an increased BMI, and loss of weight will help, to some extent, improve one's executive functions. Some intervention studies suggest that EFs training might have some advantages in weight maintenance; therefore, to increase the validity of EFs training, inhibitory control training in particular, shall be the focus of future research in order to provide efficient solutions to the pediatric obesity epidemic by combining other interventions.