A recent study has shown that eating disorders in children are not a result of behavioral discipline issues, but rather due to differences in the development of brain regions related to reward. Brain imaging revealed that these children have heightened sensitivity to the feeling of reward when consuming foods rich in sugar and calories.
The results of the study were published yesterday on "Science Daily." The study’s author, Stuart Murray, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of California, conducted brain scans of 71 children with binge eating disorder and 74 children without the condition, all aged between 9 and 10 years.
Upon examining the results, the research team found an increase in gray matter density in specific areas of the brain, which develop between the ages of two and ten and diminish neuronal synapses.
The study suggests redirecting research towards correcting brain development at an early stage concerning treatment for binge eating disorder in children. According to these results, it appears that binge eating disorder begins at a younger age than previously thought.
In general, correcting psychological disorders is easier in early stages. The results indicate that abnormal growth in the brain's reward and inhibition centers plays a role in binge eating disorder in children.
Health experts have warned about the rise in eating disorders among children and youth during the pandemic due to social isolation, stress, disruption of routines, and the quest for perfection on social media, which has sometimes exacerbated anorexia or binge eating and muscular dysmorphia.
