Addictive eating in morbid obesity

Obesity is a growing public health problem with staggering economic and social implications. In this multifaceted phenomenon, several psychophysiological parameters work in concert to produce, and often maintain, an elevated body weight. The incentive sensitization theory of obesity posits that a neurocognitive malady is at the center of this condition, where obese individuals are over-sensitized to external food cues. This over-sensitization is often expressed as food addiction (FA), which can be measured with the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS). Decades of research indicate that hemispheric brain asymmetry, i.e. a greater dominance of the left compared with the right- prefrontal cortex (prefrontal left asymmetry), is associate with chronic obesity. In our study, we recruit individuals with obesity and compare between those with vs. without food addiction, on several psychobiological parameters. We also recruit participants with obesity and food addiction for a double-blind, placebo controlled randomized clinical trial, whereby we test the effectiveness of a neurocognitive treatment using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on several biobehavioral parameters, including a reduction in FA symptoms and weight loss. The main aim of this treatment is to modulate brain activity in the direction of hemispheric balance, thereby improving the neurocognitive profile of obesity with FA and alleviating the burden of this condition