Effect of Preadolescents’ Obesity on Inhibitory Control During Stop-Signal Task: A Functional EEG Network Study

Abstract

Objectives . Until now, limited knowledge remains regarding the association among childhood obesity, cognitive behavior, and brain networks. Utilizing a publicly available dataset, we aimed to investigate the relationships between childhood obesity and functional networks during the stop-signal task. Results . Given the huge conflict-monitoring and inhibitory control demands of the task, both enhanced network connectivity and properties were observed under the “No-go” compared to the “Go” condition for both obese and non-obese preadolescents. Obese preadolescents exhibited significantly increased frontal-parietal, frontal-occipital, and frontal-temporal linkages, as well as heightened network efficiency under both “Go” and “No-go” conditions compared to non-obese counterparts. Additionally, significant correlations were found between network connectivity and properties and preadolescents’ body mass index (BMI), with their combination predicting BMI scores successfully. Conclusions . These findings support that childhood obesity is not simply a deviant habit with restricted physical health consequences, but rather associated with the atypical development of frontal-based networks involved in inhibitory control and cognitive performance.