Emotional Reactivity and Appraisal of Food in Relation to Eating Disorder Cognitions and Behaviours: Evidence to Support the Motivational Conflict Hypothesis

Abstract

Eating disorders are associated with both negative and positive emotional reactions towards food. Individual eating disorder symptoms may relate to distinct emotional responses to food, which could necessitate tailored treatments based on symptom presentation. We examined associations between eating disorder symptoms and psychophysiological responses to food versus neutral images in 87 college students [mean (SD) age = 19.70 (2.09); mean (SD) body mass index = 23.25(2.77)]. Reflexive and facial electromyography measures tapping negative emotional reactivity (startle blink reflex) and appraisal (corrugator muscle response) as well as positive emotional reactivity (postauricular reflex) and appraisal (zygomaticus muscle response) were collected. Eating disorder cognitions correlated with more corrugator activity to food versus neutral images, indicating negative appraisals of food. Binge eating was associated with increased postauricular reflex reactivity to food versus neutral images, suggesting enhanced appetitive motivation to food. The combination of cognitive eating disorder symptoms and binge eating may result in motivational conflict towards food.

Transtorno Compulsivo Alimentar Periódico e Cognição

“…Encontraram-se diversos estudos relacionando o TCAP com fatores de risco de Transtornos Alimentares (Gibbs et al, 2016), transtornos psicológicos (Martínez-González et al, 2014;Kelly et al, 2012;Shenoy & Praharaj, 2019;Huemer et al, 2011), gênero (Lipson & Sonneville, 2017;Matthews-Ewald et al, 2014), raça/etnia (Lipson & Sonneville, 2017;Mason & Lewis, 2017;Reslan & Saules, 2013;Reslan & Saules, 2011), respostas reflexas a imagem de alimentos (Racine et al, 2018), hábitos alimentares (Barrack et al, 2019;Herle et al, 2020;Saunders et al, 2016), aplicabilidade e acurácia de escalas para compulsão alimentar (Duarte et al, 2014), aspectos cognitivos (Kelly et al, 2012;Duarte et al, 2014;Racine et al, 2018;Racine & Martin, 2016;Emery et al, 2013;Mason & Lewis, 2017;Saunders et al, 2016;Mailloux et al, 2014), índice de massa corporal (IMC) (Kass et al, 2017;Rohde et al, 2018), uso ilegal ou indevido de substâncias (Quick & Byrd-Bredbenner, 2013;Gibbs et al, 2016;Racine et al, 2018;Racine & Martin, 2016;Vanzhula et al, 2019;Reslan & Saules, 2011;Hunt & Forbush, 2016), avaliação comportamental (Huemer et al, 2011;Reslan & Saules, 2011;Rohde et al, 2018), prevalência e correlações…”

“…No entanto, especialistas têm encontrado elementos de natureza cognitiva para explicar os mecanismos do TCAP (Martínez-González et al, 2014;Kelly et al, 2012;Quick & Byrd-Bredbenner, 2013;Gibbs et al, 2016;Fitzsimmons-Craft et al, 2016;Racine et al, 2018;Manjrekar et al, 2015;Racine & Martin, 2016;Emery et al, 2013;Vanzhula et al, 2019). Pode-se mencionar a visão dicotômica da realidade (cuja caracterização se refere a rigidez cognitiva com que a realidade é compreendida, isto é, os elementos são vistos como bem ou mal, bom ou ruim) (Quick & Byrd-Bredbenner, 2013), a urgência negativa (que é um perfil marcado pela impulsividade de ações frente a emoções negativas) (Racine et al, 2018;Manjrekar et al, 2015;Emery et al, 2013), a consciência emocional (o qual possui duas facetas: atenção emocional, referida como o atendimento e a valorização das próprias emoções; e a clarificação emocional, entendida como sendo a capacidade de identificar suas próprias experiências) (Manjrekar et al, 2015) e as estratégias de enfrentamento (como, por exemplo, autoculpabilização, aceitação, reavaliação positiva e ruminação) (Kelly et al, 2012;Duarte et al, 2014).…”

Effort expenditure for rewards task modified for food: A novel behavioral measure of willingness to work for food

“…First, modifying the EEfRT to examine willingness to work for food rather than money in relation to binge eating is novel and important, given initial data indicating greater alterations in reward processing for food versus disorderneutral stimuli (Racine et al, 2018;Simon et al, 2016). First, modifying the EEfRT to examine willingness to work for food rather than money in relation to binge eating is novel and important, given initial data indicating greater alterations in reward processing for food versus disorderneutral stimuli (Racine et al, 2018;Simon et al, 2016).…”

“…Given some data suggesting more pronounced reward processing alterations for disorder-specific (i.e., food) compared to disorder-neutral (e.g., money) stimuli in relation to binge eating and BMI (Racine et al, 2018;Rasmussen, Lawyer, & Reilly, 2010;Simon et al, 2016), we modified the original EEfRT to assess effortful reward valuation for food and examine its relation to binge eating. Given some data suggesting more pronounced reward processing alterations for disorder-specific (i.e., food) compared to disorder-neutral (e.g., money) stimuli in relation to binge eating and BMI (Racine et al, 2018;Rasmussen, Lawyer, & Reilly, 2010;Simon et al, 2016), we modified the original EEfRT to assess effortful reward valuation for food and examine its relation to binge eating.…”

“…Despite the utility of this translational task, no studies have used the EEfRT in individuals with binge eating or EDs. Given some data suggesting more pronounced reward processing alterations for disorder-specific (i.e., food) compared to disorder-neutral (e.g., money) stimuli in relation to binge eating and BMI (Racine et al, 2018;Rasmussen, Lawyer, & Reilly, 2010;Simon et al, 2016), we modified the original EEfRT to assess effortful reward valuation for food and examine its relation to binge eating. This study investigated whether, like the original EEfRT, probability, reward magnitude, and their interaction predict the likelihood of choosing the hard versus the easy task when working for a preferred food.…”