Brain scans reveal a key to weight loss

The key to weight loss

MRI scans of teenagers who had successfully lost weight and kept it off show that they have higher levels of executive function - the ability to process and prioritise competing interests. The good news is that executive function is a trait that can be improved, scientists say.

It sounds cruel to put an already hungry teenager in an MRI scanner and show him pictures of burgers, fries, pizzas, syrupy waffles and ice cream cones. But thanks to 34 willing teens, researchers have found a new way to help people who are trying to achieve a healthy weight.

Learn how to make better choices

"The promising piece is that it appears we can help people to learn how to make better choices about food," said Chad Jensen, a psychologist at Brigham Young University.

In the experiments, three groups of teenagers fasted for four hours before viewing images of healthy and unhealthy foods during a brain scan. One group consisted of overweight teens. A second group was comprised of formerly overweight teens who had lost weight and kept it off for at least a year. The third group of teens had historically maintained a healthy weight.

As the teens looked at the food pictures, neuroscientists looked at which areas of their brains lit up. Specifically, they measured activity in the pre-frontal cortex where a process known as "executive function" resides.

When high-calorie foods were shown, the group of formerly overweight teenagers showed the highest activity levels in this region. That means they relied on the executive function processes more than the other groups, which may explain why they succeeded in losing weight.

How to improve executive function (and lose weight)

"You can improve executive control," said Brock Kirwan, a neuroscientist at BYU and study co-author. "Successful programmes involve repeated practice and ramping up the challenges to executive control, kind of like successful exercise programmes."

A variety of activities can improve executive functions, such as…

• Computerised training
• Games
• Aerobic physical activity
• Martial arts
• Yoga

In addition to challenges that increase over time, an emphasis on delayed rewards is also critical.

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