Implications of oxidative stress in the brain plasticity originated by fasting: a BOLD-fMRI study.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Uncontrolled pre-post study with a small sample (n=6)
PubMed 27276372 · doi:10.1080/1028415X.2016.1191165
What was done
Six healthy, right-handed male non-smokers completed a 14-hour daily intermittent fast (sunrise to sunset) for roughly one month. Participants completed 1.5-Tesla BOLD-fMRI scans during a right-hand finger-tapping task at two timepoints: 5–10 days before fasting and between days 25–28 of fasting. Researchers analyzed maximal BOLD signal changes and activation volumes in the primary motor area (M1) before and during fasting.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical values, effect sizes, statistical significance values, or explicit directional changes for BOLD signal intensity or volume in M1. It only states that regional brain volumes and neural network activity were measured before and during fasting.
Why it matters
This study provides preliminary functional neuroimaging observations on the effects of diurnal intermittent fasting on human motor cortex activation.
Limits
The sample size is very small (n = 6) and limited to healthy males. There was no non-fasting control group to account for habituation, time-of-day effects, or test-retest imaging variance. Despite the title referencing oxidative stress, the abstract reports no direct biological or biochemical measurements of oxidative stress.
Cited by
- supports Intermittent fasting increases activity in certain neural networks during the fasting period.