Thesis
The neural and behavioral correlates of loss-of-control eating
Master of Science (M.S.), Drexel University
Mar 2021
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00000555
Abstract
Loss-of-control (LOC) eating involves a subjective feeling that one cannot stop oneself from eating or control what or how much one is eating. Individuals with LOC eating may exhibit strong appetitive drives and weak inhibitory control, and this apparent imbalance has been related to frontal asymmetry. However, no study has examined whether frontal asymmetry is related to LOC eating. The present study investigated whether frontal asymmetry is related to hedonic hunger, LOC eating severity and frequency, and eating in the absence of hunger in the laboratory. Fifty-nine individuals ostensibly participated in a taste study after completing resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings. After the EEG, they were provided a meal to eat until fullness, followed by an array of snacks and instructions to eat as much as they would like. The results indicated that several measures of right-frontal asymmetry were related to greater eating in the absence of hunger. Similarly, right-frontal asymmetry during eyes-closed conditions was related to greater self-reported LOC eating severity. Although right-frontal asymmetry has historically been theorized as reflective of avoidance motivation, recent evidence suggests it may be more indicative of effortful control during approach-avoidance conflicts. Because individuals with LOC eating presumably experience heightened conflicts between drives to eat beyond energy needs and to restrain their eating, those experiencing greater LOC may exert greater effort to control these conflicting motivational states at the neural level. An integration of these neurobiological correlates of LOC eating may help provide a more comprehensive understanding of LOC eating and may inform future treatment development of this behavior.
Metrics
36 File views/ downloads
36 Record Views
Details
- Title
- The neural and behavioral correlates of loss-of-control eating
- Creators
- Joanna Y. Chen
- Contributors
- Michael R. Lowe (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Science (M.S.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- iii, 48 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991014941448004721