The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) are both important nodes for self-control and decision-making but through separable processes (cognitive control vs evaluative processing). This study aimed to examine the effects of excitatory brain stimulation [intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS)] targeting the dlPFC and dmPFC on eating behavior. iTBS was hypothesized to decrease consumption of appetitive snack foods, via enhanced interference control for dlPFC stimulation and reduced delay discounting (DD) for dmPFC stimulation. Using a single-blinded, between-subjects design, participants (N = 43) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (i) iTBS targeting the left dlPFC, (ii) iTBS targeting bilateral dmPFC or (iii) sham. Participants then completed two cognitive tasks (DD and Flanker), followed by a bogus taste test. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy imaging revealed that increases in the medial prefrontal cortex activity were evident in the dmPFC stimulation group during the DD task; likewise, a neural efficiency effect was observed in the dlPFC stimulation group during the Flanker. Gender significantly moderated during the taste test, with females in the dmPFC showing paradoxical increases in food consumption compared to sham. Findings suggest that amplification of evaluative processing may facilitate eating indulgence when preponderant social cues are permissive and food is appetitive.

中文翻译：

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前额叶 θ 爆发刺激对神经元活动和随后进食行为的影响：交错 rTMS 和 fNIRS 研究

背外侧前额叶皮层 (dlPFC) 和背内侧前额叶皮层 (dmPFC) 都是自我控制和决策的重要节点，但通过可分离的过程（认知控制与评估处理）。本研究旨在检查针对 dlPFC 和 dmPFC 的兴奋性脑刺激 [间歇性 theta 爆发刺激 (iTBS)] 对饮食行为的影响。假设 iTBS 通过增强对 dlPFC 刺激的干扰控制和减少 dmPFC 刺激的延迟贴现 (DD) 来减少有食欲的零食的消耗。使用单盲、受试者间设计，参与者 (N = 43) 被随机分配到以下三种情况之一：(i) iTBS 针对左侧 dlPFC，(ii) iTBS 针对双侧 dmPFC 或 (iii) 假手术。然后参与者完成了两项认知任务（DD 和 Flanker），随后进行虚假的味觉测试。功能性近红外光谱成像显示，在 DD 任务期间，dmPFC 刺激组的内侧前额叶皮层活动明显增加；同样，在 Flanker 期间，在 dlPFC 刺激组中观察到神经效率效应。性别在味觉测试期间显着缓和，与假相比，dmPFC 中的女性在食物消耗方面表现出自相矛盾的增加。研究结果表明，当占优势的社会线索是宽容的并且食物有食欲时，评估处理的放大可能会促进饮食放纵。在 Flanker 期间，在 dlPFC 刺激组中观察到神经效率效应。性别在味觉测试期间显着缓和，与假相比，dmPFC 中的女性在食物消耗方面表现出自相矛盾的增加。研究结果表明，当占优势的社会线索是宽容的并且食物有食欲时，评估处理的放大可能会促进饮食放纵。在 Flanker 期间，在 dlPFC 刺激组中观察到神经效率效应。性别在味觉测试期间显着缓和，与假相比，dmPFC 中的女性在食物消耗方面表现出自相矛盾的增加。研究结果表明，当占优势的社会线索是宽容的并且食物有食欲时，评估处理的放大可能会促进饮食放纵。