Greater resting state functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex with the thalamus, caudate, and putamen in individuals who adhere to the Mediterranean style diets.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional observational study
PubMed 39607478 · doi:10.1007/s00394-024-03548-y
What was done
Thirty-seven adults (mean age 25.57, SD 7.18) completed the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS) and the Ruminative Response Scale, and were classified into high- and low-quality diet groups. All participants underwent resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) to evaluate whole-brain functional connectivity of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and examine associations with ruminative thinking.
What was found
Participants in the high MEDAS group showed significantly greater resting-state functional connectivity between the mPFC seed and the thalamus, caudate, and putamen compared to the low MEDAS group. The strength of mPFC connectivity with these subcortical regions was positively associated with MEDAS scores across groups in both crude and adjusted models. No significant association was found between mPFC-subcortical connectivity and ruminative thinking scores. The abstract provides no specific numerical values or test statistics.
Why it matters
This study provides preliminary observational evidence linking adherence to a Mediterranean diet with differences in frontal-subcortical functional brain connectivity in young adults.
Limits
The sample size is very small (n = 37) and cross-sectional, precluding causal inference. Diet was assessed via self-reported screening rather than objective measures, and the observed connectivity differences did not translate into measurable differences in ruminative thinking.
Cited by
- context Studies demonstrate that eating a healthier diet increases brain activity in regions responsible for long-term planning, whereas junk food suppresses it.