Longitudinal changes in brain structures related to appetitive reactivity and regulation across development

Frontoparietal functional connectivity moderates the link between time spent on social media and subsequent negative affect in daily life

Evidence on the harms and benefits of social media use is mixed, in part because the effects of social media on well-being depend on a variety of individual difference moderators. Here, we explored potential neural moderators of the link between time spent on social media and subsequent negative affect. We specifically focused on the strength of correlation among brain regions within the frontoparietal system, previously associated with the top-down cognitive control of attention and emotion. Participants (N = 54) underwent a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Participants then completed 28 days of ecological momentary assessment and answered questions about social media use and negative affect, twice a day. Participants who spent more than their typical amount of time on social media since the previous time point reported feeling more negative at the present moment. This within-person temporal association between social media use and negative affect was mainly driven by individuals with lower resting state functional connectivity within the frontoparietal system. By contrast, time spent on social media did not predict subsequent affect for individuals with higher frontoparietal functional connectivity. Our results highlight the moderating role of individual functional neural connectivity in the relationship between social media and affect.

Sex-specific association between regional gray matter volume and spicy food craving or consumption

Both food cravings and long-term food consumption have been associated with brain changes. Sex differences in food craving are robust and substantial. The current study examined the potential sex-specific neuroanatomical correlates of spicy food craving and habitual spicy food consumption. One hundred and forty-nine participants completed the Spicy Food Consumption Questionnaire and the Spicy Food Craving Questionnaire while their structural brain images were acquired using a 3-T scanner. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine regional gray matter volume (GMV) in relation to questionnaire scores. GMV of the right supplementary motor area (SMA) and the dorsal superior frontal gyrus were significantly correlated with spicy food craving in women, whereas spicy food craving was associated with greater GMV of the inferior temporal gyrus and the occipital gyrus in men. In addition, habitual spicy food consumption was correlated with increased GMV of the bilateral putamen, left postcentral gyrus, and right paracentral lobule, which was more pronounced among female participants. These findings suggest distinct central neuroanatomical reflections of trait craving or habitual exposure to spicy flavors. The sex-specific correlation between spicy food craving and brain anatomical features may be related to food-related sensory imagery or cognitive control.

The Hitchhiker's guide to longitudinal models: A primer on model selection for repeated-measures methods

Longitudinal data are becoming increasingly available in developmental neuroimaging. To maximize the promise of this wealth of information on how biology, behavior, and cognition change over time, there is a need to incorporate broad and rigorous training in longitudinal methods into the repertoire of developmental neuroscientists. Fortunately, these models have an incredibly rich tradition in the broader developmental sciences that we can draw from. Here, we provide a primer on longitudinal models, written in a beginner-friendly (and slightly irreverent) manner, with a particular focus on selecting among different modeling frameworks (e.g., multilevel versus latent curve models) to build the theoretical model of development a researcher wishes to test. Our aims are three-fold: (1) lay out a heuristic framework for longitudinal model selection, (2) build a repository of references that ground each model in its tradition of methodological development and practical implementation with a focus on connecting researchers to resources outside traditional neuroimaging journals, and (3) provide practical resources in the form of a codebook companion demonstrating how to fit these models. These resources together aim to enhance training for the next generation of developmental neuroscientists by providing a solid foundation for future forays into advanced modeling applications.

A generative network model of neurodevelopmental diversity in structural brain organization

The formation of large-scale brain networks, and their continual refinement, represent crucial developmental processes that can drive individual differences in cognition and which are associated with multiple neurodevelopmental conditions. But how does this organization arise, and what mechanisms drive diversity in organization? We use generative network modeling to provide a computational framework for understanding neurodevelopmental diversity. Within this framework macroscopic brain organization, complete with spatial embedding of its organization, is an emergent property of a generative wiring equation that optimizes its connectivity by renegotiating its biological costs and topological values continuously over time. The rules that govern these iterative wiring properties are controlled by a set of tightly framed parameters, with subtle differences in these parameters steering network growth towards different neurodiverse outcomes. Regional expression of genes associated with the simulations converge on biological processes and cellular components predominantly involved in synaptic signaling, neuronal projection, catabolic intracellular processes and protein transport. Together, this provides a unifying computational framework for conceptualizing the mechanisms and diversity in neurodevelopment, capable of integrating different levels of analysis-from genes to cognition.

Getting to the heart of food craving with resting heart rate variability in adolescents

BACKGROUND

There is an epidemic of obesity in children and adolescents. Research into the self-regulatory factors that drive eating behavior is of critical importance. Food craving contributes to overeating and difficulty with weight loss and is strongly correlated with self-regulation. High-frequency heart rate variability (HF HRV) reflects parasympathetic activity and is positively associated with self-regulation. Few studies of HF HRV and food craving have been conducted in adolescents. The current study examined the association between HF HRV and food craving in a large-scale sample of healthy adolescents.

METHOD

Electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded in 134 healthy adolescents aged 10-17 during a 7-min resting state. Participants also completed the Food Craving Questionnaire-Trait (FCQ-T). The relative power of HF HRV was calculated. Association between HF HRV and food craving was examined in the context of sex and age. Next, the relative significance of all food craving subscales was considered in relation to HF HRV.

RESULTS

HF HRV was inversely correlated with food craving, taking into account sex and age. Considering all the subscales of FCQ-T in relation to HF HRV, the "lack of control over eating" subscale accounted for the most significant variance.

CONCLUSION

This was the first study to evaluate resting HRV and eating behaviors in a large-scale adolescent sample. HF HRV was negatively associated with food craving, with lower HF HRV correlating with higher food craving, especially in the context of diminished control over eating. HF HRV could be a potential biomarker for food craving and food-related self-regulation capacity, and therefore may aid weight management interventions.