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Brassard SL, Laliberte M, MacKillop J, Balodis IM. Disgust sensitivity and behavioural inhibitory systems in binge eating disorder: associations with eating pathology. Eat Weight Disord 2023; 28:15. [PMID: 36805341 PMCID: PMC9941244 DOI: 10.1007/s40519-023-01544-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 02/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Disgust sensitivity refers to how unpleasant a disgusting experience is to an individual and is involved in the development of many psychiatric conditions. Given its link with food ingestion, there is an interest in understanding how an individual's susceptibility to disgust relates to dietary habits. One possible mechanism giving rise to this association is through the effects negative emotions have on high-order cognitive processes, but few studies take this model into account. The aim of this study was to characterize general disgust sensitivity in a clinical binge eating disorder (BED) population, and explore whether disgust sensitivity relates to inhibitory control and eating pathology. Following a case-controlled study design, our results show that: (1) disgust sensitivity and its subscales do not differ between BED and healthy controls, (2) higher disgust sensitivity in BED relates to greater behavioural inhibition, (3) inhibitory control reaction times relate to aspects of eating pathology, and (4) inhibitory control does not mediate relationships between disgust sensitivity and BMI among participants with BED. Understanding the role of disgust sensitivity in BED may allow us to understand how negative emotion systems maintain dysregulated eating behaviours with the potential to inform emotion-regulation treatment approaches. Level of evidence: Level III: Evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah L Brassard
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Michele Laliberte
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Eating Disorders Program, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - James MacKillop
- Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada.,Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Iris M Balodis
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Peter Boris Centre for Addictions Research, St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton, 100 West 5th Street, Hamilton, ON, L8P 3P2, Canada. .,Michael G. DeGroote Centre for Medicinal Cannabis Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada. .,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.
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2
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Vicario CM, Scavone V, Lucifora C, Falzone A, Pioggia G, Gangemi S, Craparo G, Martino G. Evidence of abnormal scalar timing property in alexithymia. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0278881. [PMID: 36689490 PMCID: PMC9870170 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggests that incidental modulation of affective states affects the ability to keep track of time. Alexithymia represents an ideal condition to further address the emotion-time processing link, as it refers to a trait characterized by a deficit of affective processing. 31 healthy participants completed an online version of the TAS-20 scale, which measures alexithymia, and a time reproduction task of visual stimuli related to positive (i.e., happiness) and negative (i.e., anger) facial expressions. Results documented a positive correlation between TAS-20 score and the variability in reproducing sub-second durations of the anger expression stimuli We also found an overestimation of sub-second durations of non-affective expressions in borderline/alexithymic participants. Finally, in line with the literature, we confirmed the overall tendency to overestimate the duration of anger expression stimuli. These findings, which can be interpreted in terms of abnormal scalar timing property in alexithymia, expand previous investigations linking this personality trait with abnormal processing of negative emotions. The evidence that alexithymia predicts the reproduction variability of sub-second durations of negative affective stimuli corroborates previous neuroimaging studies documenting cerebellar deficits in these individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmelo Mario Vicario
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Vito Scavone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Alessandra Falzone
- Dipartimento di Scienze Cognitive, Psicologiche, Pedagogiche e degli studi culturali, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Giovanni Pioggia
- Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (IRIB), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Messina, Italy
| | - Sebastiano Gangemi
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Craparo
- Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, Enna, Italy
| | - Gabriella Martino
- Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Sperimentale, Università di Messina, Messina, Italy
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3
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Culicetto L, Ferraioli F, Lucifora C, Falzone A, Martino G, Craparo G, Avenanti A, Vicario CM. Disgust as a transdiagnostic index of mental illness: A narrative review of clinical populations. Bull Menninger Clin 2023; 87:53-91. [PMID: 37871195 DOI: 10.1521/bumc.2023.87.suppa.53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2023]
Abstract
Disgust is a basic emotion of rejection, providing an ancestral defensive mechanism against illness. Based on research that documents altered experiences of disgust across several psychopathological conditions, we conducted a narrative review to address the hypothesis that altered disgust may serve as a transdiagnostic index of mental illness. Our synthesis of the literature from past decades suggests that, compared to healthy populations, patients with mental disorders exhibit abnormal processing of disgust in at least one of the analyzed dimensions. We also outline evidence of alterations in brain areas relevant to disgust processing, such as the insula and the interconnected limbic network. Overall, we provide preliminary support for the hypothesis that altered disgust processing may serve as a transdiagnostic index of mental illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Culicetto
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Lucifora
- Institute of Cognitive Science and Technology, ISTC-CNR, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Gabriella Martino
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Craparo
- Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, UKE-Kore University of Enna, Cittadella Universitaria, Enna, Italy
| | - Alessio Avenanti
- Neuropsychology and Cognitive Neurosciences Research Center, Universidad Católica del Maule, Talca, Chile, and the Center for Studies and Research in Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology "Renzo Canestrari," Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Cesena Campus, Cesena, Italy
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4
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Romero-Rebollar C, García-Gómez L, Báez-Yáñez MG, Gutiérrez-Aguilar R, Pacheco-López G. Adiposity affects emotional information processing. Front Psychol 2022; 13:879065. [PMID: 36225672 PMCID: PMC9549075 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.879065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic associated with severe health and psychological wellbeing impairments expressed by an increased prevalence of affective disorders. Emotional dysfunction is important due to its effect on social performance. The aim of the present narrative review is to provide a general overview of human research exploring emotional information processing in overweight and obese people. Evidence suggests that obesity is associated with an attenuation of emotional experience, contradictory findings about emotion recognition, and scarce research about automatic emotional information processing. Finally, we made some concluding considerations for future research on emotional information processing in overweight and obese people.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leonor García-Gómez
- School of Psychology, Intercontinental University (UIC), Mexico City, Mexico
- Department of Research on Smoking and COPD, National Institute of Respiratory Diseases (INER) Ismael Cosío Villegas, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mario G. Báez-Yáñez
- Radiology Department, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Ruth Gutiérrez-Aguilar
- Division of Research, School of Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico
- Laboratory of Metabolic Diseases: Obesity and Diabetes, Hospital Infantil de México “Federico Gómez”, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Gustavo Pacheco-López
- Health Sciences Department, Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), Lerma, Mexico
- *Correspondence: Gustavo Pacheco-López,
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Becker E, Kozmér S, Aulbach MB, Lawrence NS. The relationship between meat disgust and meat avoidance-A chicken-and-egg problem. Front Nutr 2022; 9:958248. [PMID: 36118782 PMCID: PMC9479216 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2022.958248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Feelings of disgust toward meat have been researched for at least 30 years, but so far the causal relationship that may link meat disgust and meat consumption has remained elusive. Two possible pathways have been proposed in previous literature: the more common pathway seems to be that meat disgust is developed after a transition to vegetarianism, potentially via the process of moralization and recruitment of (moral) disgust. Other accounts suggest the existence of a second pathway in which disgust initiates the avoidance of meat and this can be explained by existing theories of disgust functioning as a pathogen avoidance mechanism and meat serving as a pathogen cue. However, the evidence base for either relationship remains thin and to our knowledge no research has examined whether temporary meat abstention can lead to increases in meat disgust, as the first pathway suggests. We measured meat disgust and meat intake in n = 40 meat eaters before and after attempting a meat-free diet for 1 month (while taking part in the annual vegan campaign Veganuary). Although most participants lapsed to eating meat during this period, we found that reductions in meat intake during the month were predictive of increases in meat disgust afterwards. This supports the view that meat disgust is expressed as a result of meat avoidance in meat eaters. Implications for theoretical understanding of the relationship between meat disgust and meat avoidance, as well as the development of disgust based interventions are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Becker
- Psychology Department, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Stella Kozmér
- Psychology Department, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Matthias B. Aulbach
- Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
- School of Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
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Abstract
Facial emotion recognition (FER) is extensively investigated in psychological sciences in healthy individuals and clinical conditions. In this paper, we analyzed those studies in which FER was assessed in the case of obesity or fibromyalgia, in relation to the levels of alexithymia. Crucially, these two conditions frequently co-occur; however, no study has explored FER considering both fibromyalgia and obesity. Studies were identified using the electronic search engine of PubMed. The last research was run on 23 July 2021. Two independent lists were generated for the two clinical conditions. Six records were reviewed about obesity, while three records about fibromyalgia. The evidence relative to FER in obesity was not conclusive, whereas the evidence about an altered FER in fibromyalgia seemed more straightforward. Moreover, the role of alexithymia on FER in these clinical conditions was not extensively investigated. In our discussion, we highlighted those factors that should be carefully addressed in investigating FER in these clinical conditions. Moreover, we underlined methodological criticisms that should be overcome in future research.
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8
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Becker E, Lawrence NS. Meat disgust is negatively associated with meat intake - Evidence from a cross-sectional and longitudinal study. Appetite 2021; 164:105299. [PMID: 33965435 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 05/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Meat consumption is increasingly seen as unsustainable, unhealthy, and unethical. Understanding what factors help people reduce their meat intake is urgently needed. One such factor is meat disgust, a feeling reported by many vegetarians, and which could be a promising basis for meat reduction interventions. However, meat disgust and its impact on meat consumption is poorly understood. We examined meat disgust and its role in vegetarianism and reducing meat intake in a cross-sectional and longitudinal online study. We measured self-reported meat consumption, meat disgust (by self-report and Implicit Association Test), meat liking, self-control, and disgust sensitivity in N = 711 adults (57% omnivores, 28% flexitarians, 15% vegetarians) recruited from a community cohort. Results showed that 73% of vegetarians can be classified as 'meat disgusted', and that meat disgust predicted meat intake better than self-control in omnivores and flexitarians at baseline. Following up a sub-sample of participants (N = 197) after six months revealed that changes in meat intake over time were also associated with changes in meat disgust. This is the first study to quantify the impact of meat disgust on (changes in) meat consumption and its prevalence in the vegetarian and the general population. Our findings advance research into meat disgust and encourage the development of disgust-based interventions to reduce meat intake.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Becker
- School of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK.
| | - Natalia S Lawrence
- School of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QG, UK.
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Abstract
Obesity is a multifactorial disease with several potential causes that remain incompletely understood. Recent changes in the environment, which has become increasingly obesogenic, have been found to interact with individual factors. Evidence of the role of taste responsiveness and food preference in obesity has been reported, pointing to a lower taste sensitivity and a higher preference and intake of fat and, to a lesser extent, sweet foods in obese people. Studies in the last decades have also suggested that individual differences in the neurophysiology of food reward may lead to overeating, contributing to obesity. However, further studies are needed to confirm these findings. In fact, only a limited number of studies has been conducted on large samples, and several studies were conducted only on women. Larger balanced studies in terms of sex/gender and age are required in order to control the confounding effect of these variables. As many factors are intertwined in obesity, a multidisciplinary approach is needed. This will allow a better understanding of taste alteration and food behaviours in obese people in order to design more effective strategies to promote healthier eating and to prevent obesity and the related chronic disease risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Spinelli
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Erminio Monteleone
- Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
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10
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Cummings JR, Ackerman JM, Wolfson JA, Gearhardt AN. COVID-19 stress and eating and drinking behaviors in the United States during the early stages of the pandemic. Appetite 2021; 162:105163. [PMID: 33587985 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2021.105163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic has created widespread stress. Since many people cope with stress by eating, the current study investigated whether eating behaviors shifted among U.S. adults after the emergence of the pandemic. Data from national, crowdsourced surveys conducted on March 31st, 2020 and February 13th, 2019 were compared. Average levels of eating to cope and food addiction symptoms did not appear to shift during the early stages of the pandemic; however, U.S. adults ate about 14% more added sugars. Moreover, greater stress in response to the pandemic was associated with greater eating to cope, added sugars intake, food addiction symptoms, drinking to cope, and drinking frequency. These associations differed by the presence of state-level stay-at-home orders, perceived vulnerability to disease, age, U.S. political party affiliation, and gender. Although eating behaviors did not appear to majorly shift during the early stages of the pandemic, stress from the pandemic may intensify some maladaptive coping tendencies among U.S. adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenna R Cummings
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
| | | | - Julia A Wolfson
- Department of Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA; Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA
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Anderson LM, Berg H, Brown TA, Menzel J, Reilly EE. The Role of Disgust in Eating Disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2021; 23:4. [PMID: 33404776 PMCID: PMC7895454 DOI: 10.1007/s11920-020-01217-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW In current review, we evaluate the current literature examining the role of disgust in eating disorders (EDs), and provide a theoretical model designed to inform the study and treatment of disgust-based symptoms in EDs. RECENT FINDINGS Findings from this review suggest that aberrant disgust-conditioning processes represent promising but understudied mechanisms that may contribute to the risk and maintenance of core eating disorder (ED) psychopathology. In addition, preliminary evidence supports the use of interventions designed to target aversive disgust cues and disrupt maladaptive disgust-based conditioning that may maintain eating pathology. However, experimental studies designed to elucidate the role of disgust and aversive learning processes remain limited. Disgust is a promising risk and maintenance factor in EDs. Future systematic investigation is needed to examine disgust-based processes at a mechanistic level in order to better understand the links between disgust, avoidance behaviors, and EDs. Further investigation of the mechanistic role of disgust in EDs is warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota Medical School, 2450 Riverside Avenue South, F229, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA
| | - Hannah Berg
- Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, N218 Elliott Hall, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Tiffany A. Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California - San Diego, 4510 Executive Drive, Suite 315, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Jessie Menzel
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California - San Diego, 4510 Executive Drive, Suite 315, San Diego, CA 92121, USA
| | - Erin E. Reilly
- Department of Psychology, Hofstra University, 210 Hauser Hall, Hempstead, NY 11549, USA
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Egolf A, Siegrist M, Ammann J, Pacheco-López G, Etale A, Hartmann C. Cross-cultural validation of the short version of the Food Disgust Scale in ten countries. Appetite 2019; 143:104420. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.104420] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
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Powell PA, Jones CR, Consedine NS. It’s not queasy being green: The role of disgust in willingness-to-pay for more sustainable product alternatives. Food Qual Prefer 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2019.103737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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14
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Liu X, Li J, Turel O, Chen R, He Q. Food-Specific Inhibitory Control Mediates the Effect of Disgust Sensitivity on Body Mass Index. Front Psychol 2019; 10:2391. [PMID: 31695662 PMCID: PMC6817461 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02391] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 10/07/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Disgust is an emotion that drives food avoidance. People vary in their responses to disgust, which is captured by their disgust sensitivity. Disgust sensitivity is clinically significant because it can influence eating behaviors, and indirectly people's body mass index (BMI). Inhibitory control can also influence BMI through the role that such reflective abilities play in governing food intake. In this study, we relied on neural models of disgust to suggest that disgust and inhibitory control are intertwined, and that inhibitory control facilitates the translation of disgust sensitivity into BMI. Mediation analyses applied to 46 subjects, including 29 normal body weight [BMI = 18.34 kg/m2 (SD = 1.58)] and 17 overweight/obese [BMI = 26.03 kg/m2 (SD = 2.58)] subjects, were used to test the hypothesis. Subjects completed the Chinese version of the Disgust Scale-Revised, and an inhibition control test (Food-Specific Stop-Signal Task). There were negative correlations between the disgust sensitivity score (DS) and body mass index (BMI), and between DS and stop-signal reaction time (SSRT). Moreover, BMI was positively correlated with SSRT. The mediation model results showed that disgust sensitivity was associated with BMI and that this relationship was mediated via inhibition control. There was no significant effect of DS on BMI, while the effect of SSRT on BMI was significant. This suggested that the effect of disgust sensitivity on BMI was fully mediated through food-specific inhibitory control. This supports our hypothesis that BMI is affected by disgust sensitivity and that this relationship is mediated by inhibition control. These findings reveal a key mechanism that underlies disgust sensitivity-BMI association and point to future research and potential interventions aimed at food intake management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xing Liu
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ji Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Ofir Turel
- Information Systems and Decision Sciences, California State University, Fullerton, CA, United States
| | - Rui Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Qinghua He
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Chongqing Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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Blanco-Hinojo L, Pujol J, Esteba-Castillo S, Martínez-Vilavella G, Giménez-Palop O, Gabau E, Casamitjana L, Deus J, Novell R, Caixàs A. Lack of response to disgusting food in the hypothalamus and related structures in Prader Willi syndrome. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2019; 21:101662. [PMID: 30639180 PMCID: PMC6412080 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2018] [Revised: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Objective To investigate, based on a putative abnormal neural processing of disgusting signals in Prader Willi syndrome (PWS) patients, the brain response to visual representations of disgusting food in PWS using functional MRI (fMRI). Methods Twenty-one genetically-confirmed PWS patients, 30 age- and sex-matched and 28 BMI-matched control subjects viewed a movie depicting disgusting food-related scenes interspersed with scenes of appetizing food while fMRI was acquired. Brain activation maps were compared between groups and correlated with disgust and hunger ratings. Results At the cortical level, the response to disgusting food representations in PWS patients was qualitatively similar to that of control subjects, albeit less extensive, and engaged brain regions typically related to visually-evoked disgust, such as the anterior insula/frontal operculum, the lateral frontal cortex and visual areas. By contrast, activation was almost absent in limbic structures directly concerned with the regulation of instinctive behavior robustly activated in control subjects, such as the hypothalamus, amygdala/hippocampus and periaqueductal gray. Conclusions Our study provides novel insights into the neural substrates of appetite control in a genetically-mediated cause of obesity. The presence of significant cortical changes further indicates that PWS patients consciously process disgusting stimuli, but the virtual absence of response in deep, limbic structures suggests that disgusting signals do not adequately reach the primary brain system for the appetite control. We report an abnormal pattern of brain response to images of disgusting food in PWS. The activation demonstrated by PWS patients was restricted to the cerebral cortex. Higher subjective disgust ratings were associated with greater insula activation. In contrast, the neural response was almost absent in deep subcortical structures. Disgusting signals may not adequately reach a main brain system for appetite control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Blanco-Hinojo
- MRI Research Unit, Department of Radiology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM G21, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jesus Pujol
- MRI Research Unit, Department of Radiology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Centro Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM G21, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Susanna Esteba-Castillo
- Specialized Service in Mental Health and Intellectual Disability, Institut Assistència Sanitària (IAS), Parc Hospitalari Martí i Julià, 17190 Girona, Spain.
| | | | - Olga Giménez-Palop
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí I3PT- UAB, 08208 Sabadell, Spain
| | - Elisabeth Gabau
- Clinical Genetics, Pediatrics Department, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí I3PT- UAB, 08208 Sabadell, Spain.
| | - Laia Casamitjana
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí I3PT- UAB, 08208 Sabadell, Spain.
| | - Joan Deus
- MRI Research Unit, Department of Radiology, Hospital del Mar, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ramón Novell
- Specialized Service in Mental Health and Intellectual Disability, Institut Assistència Sanitària (IAS), Parc Hospitalari Martí i Julià, 17190 Girona, Spain.
| | - Assumpta Caixàs
- Endocrinology and Nutrition Department, Parc Taulí Hospital Universitari, Institut d'Investigació i Innovació Parc Taulí I3PT- UAB, 08208 Sabadell, Spain
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16
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Anderson LM, Reilly EE, Thomas JJ, Eddy KT, Franko DL, Hormes JM, Anderson DA. Associations among fear, disgust, and eating pathology in undergraduate men and women. Appetite 2018; 125:445-453. [PMID: 29481914 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Revised: 01/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/18/2018] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Fear and disgust are distinct emotions that have been independently linked with EDs and may motivate avoidance behaviors that may be relevant targets for ED interventions (e.g., food rejection). Despite similar motivational function, it is possible that one emotion is more strongly associated with ED symptoms, relative to the other. Given that emerging evidence suggests that disgust-based behavior may be more difficult to change than fear-based behaviors, research is needed to evaluate whether each emotion differentially relates to ED symptoms. Therefore, the current study tested the relative importance of fear and disgust in accounting for variance in ED symptoms. Participants included undergraduate men (n = 127) and women (n = 263) from a university in the northeast US. Participants completed self-report measures assessing demographics, disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, and visual analog scales assessing fear and disgust responses to high-calorie food images, low-calorie food images, and non-food fear and disgust images. Bivariate correlations revealed significant positive associations among fear, disgust, and EDE-Q global symptom scores. Relative weights analysis results yielded relative importance weights that suggested disgust responding to high calorie food images accounts for the greatest total variance in EDE-Q global symptom scores in men, and fear responding to high calorie food images accounts for the greatest total variance in EDE-Q scores in women. Findings provide initial evidence that investigative and clinical efforts should consider fear and disgust as unique facets of negative affect with different patterns of relative importance to ED symptoms in undergraduate men and women.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Anderson
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY, 12222, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota, 2450 Riverside Avenue, F227, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA.
| | - Erin E Reilly
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY, 12222, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of California - San Diego, 4510 Executive Drive, Suite 330, San Diego, CA, 92121, USA
| | - Jennifer J Thomas
- Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, 2 Longfellow Place, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 2 West, Room 305, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Kamryn T Eddy
- Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, 2 Longfellow Place, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 2 West, Room 305, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Debra L Franko
- Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, 2 Longfellow Place, Suite 200, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 401 Park Drive, 2 West, Room 305, Boston, MA, 02215, USA; Department of Applied Psychology, Northeastern University, 110 Churchill Hall, 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Julia M Hormes
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Drew A Anderson
- Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, 1400 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
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17
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Core, social and moral disgust are bounded: A review on behavioral and neural bases of repugnance in clinical disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:185-200. [PMID: 28506923 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2016] [Revised: 04/19/2017] [Accepted: 05/09/2017] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Disgust is a multifaceted experience that might affect several aspects of life. Here, we reviewed research on neurological and psychiatric disorders that are characterized by abnormal disgust processing to test the hypothesis of a shared neurocognitive architecture in the representation of three disgust domains: i) personal experience of 'core disgust'; ii) social disgust, i.e., sensitivity to others' expressions of disgust; iii) moral disgust, i.e., sensitivity to ethical violations. Our review provides some support to the shared neurocognitive hypothesis and suggests that the insula might be the "hub" structure linking the three domains of disgust sensitivity, while other brain regions may subserve specific facets of the multidimensional experience. Our review also suggests a role of serotonin core and moral disgust, supporting "neo-sentimentalist" theories of morality, which posit a causal role of affect in moral judgment.
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18
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Relationship between body mass index and moral disapproval rating for ethical violations. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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19
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Pandolfi E, Sacripante R, Cardini F. Food-Induced Emotional Resonance Improves Emotion Recognition. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0167462. [PMID: 27973559 PMCID: PMC5156340 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0167462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2016] [Accepted: 11/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of food substances on emotional states has been widely investigated, showing, for example, that eating chocolate is able to reduce negative mood. Here, for the first time, we have shown that the consumption of specific food substances is not only able to induce particular emotional states, but more importantly, to facilitate recognition of corresponding emotional facial expressions in others. Participants were asked to perform an emotion recognition task before and after eating either a piece of chocolate or a small amount of fish sauce-which we expected to induce happiness or disgust, respectively. Our results showed that being in a specific emotional state improves recognition of the corresponding emotional facial expression. Indeed, eating chocolate improved recognition of happy faces, while disgusted expressions were more readily recognized after eating fish sauce. In line with the embodied account of emotion understanding, we suggest that people are better at inferring the emotional state of others when their own emotional state resonates with the observed one.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Pandolfi
- Department of Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Riccardo Sacripante
- Department of Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Flavia Cardini
- Department of Psychology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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20
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Watkins TJ, Di Iorio CR, Olatunji BO, Benningfield MM, Blackford JU, Dietrich MS, Bhatia M, Theiss JD, Salomon RM, Niswender K, Cowan RL. Disgust proneness and associated neural substrates in obesity. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 11:458-65. [PMID: 26454815 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2015] [Accepted: 10/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Defects in experiencing disgust may contribute to obesity by allowing for the overconsumption of food. However, the relationship of disgust proneness and its associated neural locus has yet to be explored in the context of obesity. Thirty-three participants (17 obese, 16 lean) completed the Disgust Propensity and Sensitivity Scale-Revised and a functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm where images from 4 categories (food, contaminates, contaminated food or fixation) were randomly presented. Independent two-sample t-tests revealed significantly lower levels of Disgust Sensitivity for the obese group (mean score = 14.7) compared with the lean group (mean score = 17.6, P = 0.026). The obese group had less activation in the right insula than the lean group when viewing contaminated food images. Multiple regression with interaction analysis revealed one left insula region where the association of Disgust Sensitivity scores with activation differed by group when viewing contaminated food images. These interaction effects were driven by the negative correlation of Disgust Sensitivity scores with beta values extracted from the left insula in the obese group (r = -0.59) compared with a positive correlation in the lean group (r = 0.65). Given these body mass index-dependent differences in Disgust Sensitivity and neural responsiveness to disgusting food images, it is likely that altered Disgust Sensitivity may contribute to obesity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristan J Watkins
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA,
| | - Christina R Di Iorio
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Bunmi O Olatunji
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Jennifer U Blackford
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Mary S Dietrich
- Department of Biostatistics, Vanderbilt University Schools of Medicine and Nursing, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Monisha Bhatia
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Justin D Theiss
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ronald M Salomon
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Kevin Niswender
- Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, Tennessee Valley Healthcare System, Nashville, TN, USA, and
| | - Ronald L Cowan
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA, Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN, USA
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21
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Olatunji BO, Ebesutani C, Haidt J, Sawchuk CN. Specificity of disgust domains in the prediction of contamination anxiety and avoidance: a multimodal examination. Behav Ther 2014; 45:469-81. [PMID: 24912460 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2014.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2013] [Revised: 02/07/2014] [Accepted: 02/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Although core, animal-reminder, and contamination disgust are viewed as distinct "types" of disgust vulnerabilities, the extent to which individual differences in the three disgust domains uniquely predict contamination-related anxiety and avoidance remains unclear. Three studies were conducted to fill this important gap in the literature. Study 1 was conducted to first determine if the three types of disgust could be replicated in a larger and more heterogeneous sample. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that a bifactor model consisting of a "general disgust" dimension and the three distinct disgust dimensions yielded a better fit than a one-factor model. Structural equation modeling in Study 2 showed that while latent core, animal-reminder, and contamination disgust factors each uniquely predicted a latent "contamination anxiety" factor above and beyond general disgust, only animal-reminder uniquely predicted a latent "non-contamination anxiety" factor above and beyond general disgust. However, Study 3 found that only contamination disgust uniquely predicted behavioral avoidance in a public restroom where contamination concerns are salient. These findings suggest that although the three disgust domains are associated with contamination anxiety and avoidance, individual differences in contamination disgust sensitivity appear to be most uniquely predictive of contamination-related distress. The implications of these findings for the development and maintenance of anxiety-related disorders marked by excessive contamination concerns are discussed.
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22
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Vicario CM. Inborn mechanisms of food preference and avoidance: the role of polymorphisms in neuromodulatory systems. Front Mol Neurosci 2013; 6:16. [PMID: 23847466 PMCID: PMC3701865 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2013.00016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Carmelo M Vicario
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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