Brain activity in response to food images in patients with irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia

Abstract

Background Functional dyspepsia (FD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are caused and exacerbated by consumption of fatty foods. However, no study has evaluated brain activity in response to food images in patients with disorders of gut–brain interaction (DGBI). This study aimed to compare food preference and brain activity when viewing food images between patients with DGBI and healthy controls. Methods FD and IBS were diagnosed using the ROME IV criteria. Food preference was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS). Brain activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in response to food images was investigated using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Results Forty-one patients were enrolled, including 25 with DGBI. The mean VAS scores for all foods (controls vs. FD vs. IBS: 69.1 ± 3.3 vs. 54.8 ± 3.8 vs. 62.8 ± 3.7, p = 0.02), including fatty foods (78.1 ± 5.4 vs. 43.4 ± 6.3 vs. 64.7 ± 6.1, p < 0.01), were the lowest in patients with FD among all groups. Patients with FD had significantly higher brain activity in the left PFC than those with IBS and healthy controls (mean z-scores in controls vs. FD vs. IBS: − 0.077 ± 0.03 vs. 0.125 ± 0.04 vs. − 0.002 ± 0.03, p < 0.001). Conclusions Patients with DGBI, particularly those with FD, disliked fatty foods. The brain activity in patients with DGBI differed from that in healthy controls. Increased activity in the PFC of patients with FD was confirmed.

Artificial Intelligence-Based Diagnostic Support System for Functional Dyspepsia Based on Brain Activity and Food Preference

“…The experimental procedure was similar to that described in a previous study [ 6 ]. Briefly, the participants were instructed to sit on a chair in a quiet room facing a laptop computer.…”

“…Fatty food intake reportedly induced gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in patients with FD and those with IBS [ 4 , 5 ]. Additionally, our previous study showed that preference scores for fatty food images were significantly lower in patients with DGBI, particularly those with FD [ 6 ]. Regarding brain activity in patients with DGBIs, previous studies have reported alterations in several brain regions in patients with FD and those with IBS when compared to healthy controls [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…Regarding brain activity in patients with DGBIs, previous studies have reported alterations in several brain regions in patients with FD and those with IBS when compared to healthy controls [ 7 , 8 ]. Our previous study also showed altered prefrontal cortex (PFC) activity in response to food images in patients with DGBI, particularly those with FD [ 6 ]. We adopted functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to evaluate brain activity in PFC because of its non-invasiveness, portability, and ability to assess real-time brain activity [ 9 ].…”

An advance in novel intelligent sensory technologies: From an implicit‐tracking perspective of food perception

“…Instead, patients need simply sit on a chair in a relaxed manner and perform a series of tasks or tests guided by computer instructions. One study showed that patients with functional dyspepsia exhibited increased activation in the DPC in response to fatty food images, and they also reported that these images reminded them of uncomfortable abdominal symptoms, such as abdominal pain and fullness (Katsumata et al., 2023). This suggests that high‐fat food clues can affect brain areas involved in emotional inhibition and memory processing, which are governed by the prefrontal cortex.…”

“…The consumer sensory perception is a complicated experience that is influenced by the differentiation of food attributes (e.g., brand, label, packaging, sensory and physical characteristics), individual factors (e.g., cultural background, age, dietary pattern, and emotional state), and background variations (e.g., eating with familiar or unfamiliar individuals, dining at home or restaurant) (de Wijk et al., 2019; Katsumata et al., 2023; Machín et al., 2023; Mena et al., 2023; Nath et al., 2020; Pichierri et al., 2021; Semenova et al., 2023; Spinelli & Jaeger, 2019; Wang, Zhang, et al., 2022; Xu et al., 2022). There exist two directions used to elucidate human sensory perception of food (shown in Figure 1).…”