Obesity and Binge Eating Disorder

$500.00

About

The study of the relationship between obesity and binge eating disorder and the impulsivity and emotional dysregulation via gathering Big Data on the activity of the prefrontal cortex and its functioning from the perspective of the human taste-perception.

Experimental goal

The experiment is aiming to assess the brain activity of various participants belonging to several groups, namely obese, obese + binge eating, and those with normal weight for comparison. Data from all three groups would allow to understand the emotional stance and behaviour of the individuals during response inhibition tasks.

One must consider multiple parameters/variables as part of the measurements. These include age, nationality, gender, physical condition of the participant, weight, lifestyle, eating habits, illnesses, day and time of the response inhibition tasks, etc

Brain parts to be studied

Temporal lobe: limbic system

Prefrontal cortex anterior regions:

  • anterior regions of the right, left, and mid-dorsolateral PFC (l/r/mDLPFC)
  • right, left, and medial FPC (r/l/mFPC).

Pariental lobe

One will focus on the right and left hemisphere of the frontal (prefrontal cortex) and temporal lobes. It is imperative to primarily focus on them. The frontal lobe is responsible for the execution of higher executive functions in reference to cognitive, capacity to plan, organise, initiate, self-monitor and control one’s responses in order to achieve a goal.

At the same time, one will gather data from the temporal lobe which is believed to play an important role in processing affect/emotions, language, and certain aspects of visual perception

Experiment relevance

The experiment relevance is based on several studies conducted by scholars in the past years. At first one considered the study by Osofundia et al.

  • (2016) who focused on the changes in the prefrontal cortex under the influence of obesity and binge eating practices conducted by individuals. The scholars studied twenty-two individuals aged 65+ and measured their parameters after three types of exercises using a portable functional near infrared spectroscopy system (Osofundia et al., 2016).
  •  As a result, they noticed that obesity was characterized by higher neural costs. Rösch et al. (2021) have continued the focus on the prefrontal cortex of the individuals who are obese with a binge eating disorder utilizing the opportunities that fNIR technology provides. The scholars have claimed that higher PFC responsivity signified impulsivity, whereas a low PFC responsivity designated emotional dysregulation.
  • As a result of analysing three groups of individuals (obese, obese + binge eating, and normal weight) the scholars have noted that those in the obese group had issues with their emotional dysregulations, whereas those who were in the obese + binge eating group were characterized by a high level of impulsivity when compared to the individuals with a normal weight (Rösch et al., 2021). And the latest study that creates the backbone for proving relevance of the current study is the attempt by Anbarasan et al.
  • (2022) to demonstrate the human taste-perception scheme through its visualization using computer interface (BCI) in the taste-driven sensory study. According to the scholars the process of food tasting starts from the receptors in the tongue responding to stimuli, generating the electric current flowing through the brain neural networks and increasing oxygen-containing blood utilization in specific areas of the brain.

Participants

Men and women from the age of 18 to 60 with different physique and food habits, divided into three categories, namely obese, obese + susceptible to binge eating, and those with a weight within normal from any part of the world.

Data required on each participant
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Nationality
  • Physical status
  • Working hand
  • Meals per day
  • Scope of meal
  • Time/Day/Location of each activity
  • Illnesses (if any)

Stimuli and experiment design

  • Participants who are divided into different groups in according to their weight following online response inhibition tasks
  • Recording of the response inhibition tasks with exact timestamps to be provided along with fNIR recording
Equipment

EASYCAP AC-128-X1-C-58

with a 128-channel layout

NIRSport

(NIRx Medical Technologies, Berlin, Germany)

Any screen with recorded practice

(TV, laptop, pad, phone)

Equipment control

  1. Experiment to be conducted at special facility where equipment will be provided
  2. Participant should register here to participate
  3. Participant should put glove, VR and NIRSport and follow VR App commands
  4. Each experiment is payed separately

This experiment does not set its goal on focusing on medical class research. This is intended foremost for big data collection in order to test various hypothesis. Upon confirmation of hypothesis, it is imperative to conduct licensed and valid in-hospital tests to re-confirm the obtained statistical result

Research business impact

Addressable business

  • Wearables for those who are obese and/or are prone to binge eating to control their intake
  • Online fitness classes and companies providing weight loss opportunities
  • Medical rehabilitation

Addressable market

  • $245.51 bln in 2022

Research translation: how we generate income for ecosystem and our donors

  • Licensing wearables developers with new algorithms
  • Licensing of online weight loss courses with scientific proof and custom tailored to each particular client
  • Development and sales of devices to manage the weight loss process of the individual with weight issues