The Relationship Between Frontal Brain Asymmetry and Exercise Addiction

Abstract

Previous research on the causes of exercise addiction has focused primarily on the relationships among personality traits, social influences, and disordered eating ( Bamber, Cockerill, & Carroll, 2000 ; Beals, 2004 ). Few studies, however, have examined the psychophysiological nature of exercise addiction. In a related area of research in which brain activity has been related to affect and mood, results show that frontal asymmetry, as measured by electroencephalogram (EEG), is associated with negative emotions. More specifically, greater activity at right frontal electrode sites is found among individuals suffering from negative affect and depression. Because a defining feature of exercise addiction is the use of exercise to control negative mood states, it is expected that those with exercise addiction exhibit different frontal activity. This study explores the hypothesized relationship between exercise addiction and the level of baseline frontal activity asymmetry, as measured by EEG. Regularly active women (n = 28, M age = 32.43, SD = 10.89) were recruited to participate in the study. Exercise addiction status was determined by the Exercise Addiction Inventory (EAI) ( Terry, Szabo, & Griffiths, 2004 ). After completing the EAI, each participant took part in an EEG session consisting of eight 1-min resting trials, four with eyes open, and four with eyes closed, presented in counterbalanced order. Electrodes were applied to the left and right frontal sites (F3 and F4). A regression analysis, predicting exercise addiction from frontal asymmetry, was significant, F(1, 27) = 6.4, p < .05, and indicated that greater relative left frontal activity with higher exercise addiction scores. There may be a link between frontal asymmetry, as an indicator of negative emotions, and exercise addiction in women.

The Functional State of Athletes Addicted to Exercises during Exercise Deprivation

“…This statement is confirmed by the EEG index and the reduction of bioelectric activity in the EEG alpha range in particular. The data of the EEG dynamic while addiction we received coincide with the results of Gapin et al [6]. The frequency-amplitude characteristics of EEG studying during the active physical activity period and the deprivation period, demonstrated the most obvious differences for alpha rhythm in addicted group in the deprivation period than in the exercise period.…”

“…The withdrawal syndrome is a general and a standard consequence of addiction. The researchers consider the abstinence itself is the general evidence of addiction and this way can be used as an addiction marker [5,6].…”

“…Many authors pay substantial attention to the EEG (Electroencephalogram) markers in identifying the predictors of athletic additive disorders that can act like predictors of the pathological craving actualization for physical activity in the period of abstinence. It's known that the abstinence state while addictive disorders characterized by low bioelectric brain activity [6].…”

Clarifying Exercise Addiction: Differential Diagnosis, Co-occurring Disorders, and Phases of Addiction

“…Gapin, Etnier, and Tucker [ 42 ] linked frontal lobe asymmetry to increased risk of exercise addiction. Knowing that exercise serves to reduce negative affect, they demonstrated that women’s scores on the Exercise Addiction Inventory correlated with increased frontal lobe asymmetry that is a measure of negative affectivity.…”

Testing the Asymmetric Inhibition Model: Frontal EEG Asymmetry Does Not Predict Inhibitory Control of Emotional Distractors

“…Greater LFA (i.e., lower RFA) has been linked to higher levels of trait positive affect, anger and aggression (Niv et al, 2015), increased risktaking (Black et al, 2014;Telpaz & Yechiam, 2014), increased sensation seeking (Santesso et al, 2008), greater reward sensitivity (Balconi et al, 2014), and greater impulsivity (Gable, Mechin, Hicks, & Adams, 2015). Greater LFA has also been associated with psychopathology, particularly with disorders characterised by impulsivity and reward sensitivity, including ADHD (Keune et al, 2015) and addiction (Balconi et al, 2014;Gapin, Etnier, & Tucker, 2009). Taken together, these findings provide evidence for a critical link between frontal asymmetry and psychopathology.…”