Cognitive evoked potentials in obese children and adolescents

Background: Cognitive Evoked Potentials (CEP) reflect the processing of visual, acoustic, somatosensory or olfactory information. Frontal cortex is attached great importance in controlling food intake. Within an obesity-study we analysed CEP after presentation of different pictures to draw conclusions on semantic picture processing. Patients and method: We examined 24 children and adolescents at the age of 8 to 14 years and a group of normal weighted controls. CEP were recorded after presentation of the following visual stimuli: pictures of food, pictures of sport activities, neutral themes. We used 20 EEG-surface-electrodes (10/20 system). Results: Depending on picture category followed different potential structure. After food presentation obese children had an earlier negative component in the frontal areas in comparison to sport presentation. This phenomenon is not comprehensible in control patients. Conclusions: Depending on picture content brain areas are activated in a typical pattern. This pattern shows significant differences between obese and normal weighted children. Possibly we can draw conclusions to cognitive-psychological mechanisms in obesity. Keywords: Cognitive evoked potentials, frontal cortex, obesity, children, adolescents