Abstract: Over the past three decades, the number of eating disorders in China has increased sharply, and the growth rate ranks among the highest in the world, becoming the country with the highest number of deaths due to eating disorders globally. In particular, the rapid economic development, widespread dissemination of social media, and suboptimal intervention efficacy have collectively exacerbated eating disorders in China. Effectively preventing eating disorders has thus become an urgent and critical challenge facing the nation. Using the reward-inhibition dual-system interaction as a breakthrough, this project follows a progressive research framework (i.e., structural characteristics, processing mechanisms, and robust predictors) to investigate the crucial neural mechanisms of binge-type eating disorders. The research consists of three studies. Firstly, the novel multi-feature morphometric similarity network technique will be employed to reveal the role of underlying structural covariance between reward and inhibitory control networks in binge-type eating disorders. Secondly, based on the bipartite interaction model of dietary decision making, we will use the revised food reward response inhibition paradigms to examine how the brain’s reward (bottom-up) and inhibitory control (top-down) systems dynamically interact to contribute to binge-type eating disorders. Finally, the prospective cohort study will be conducted to further identify the key neuromarkers that can effectively predict the onset and development of binge-type eating disorders. This project aims to construct a neural staging model from the perspective of dual-system interaction, which will deepen our understanding of the full dynamic range of neuromarkers from non-eating disorder to eating disorder conditions, and provide novel insights into the precise identification, early prevention and targeted intervention of binge-type eating disorders.

Key words: reactive control, neural mechanism, food reward, inhibitory control, binge-type eating disorders