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Schroeder PA, Collantoni E, Lohmann J, Butz MV, Plewnia C. Virtual reality assessment of a high-calorie food bias: Replication and food-specificity in healthy participants. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115096. [PMID: 38849007 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Theoretical models and behavioural studies indicate faster approach behaviour for high-calorie food (approach bias) among healthy participants. A previous study with Virtual Reality (VR) and online motion-capture quantified this approach bias towards food and non-food cues in a controlled VR environment with hand movements. The aim of this study was to test the specificity of a manual approach bias for high-calorie food in grasp movements compared to low-calorie food and neutral objects of different complexity, namely, simple balls and geometrically more complex office tools. METHODS In a VR setting, healthy participants (N = 27) repeatedly grasped or pushed high-calorie food, low-calorie food, balls and office tools in randomized order with 30 item repetitions. All objects were rated for valence and arousal. RESULTS High-calorie food was less attractive and more arousing in subjective ratings than low-calorie food and neutral objects. Movement onset was faster for high-calorie food in push-trials, but overall push responses were comparable. In contrast, responses to high-calorie food relative to low-calorie food and to control objects were faster in grasp trials for later stages of interaction (grasp and collect). Non-parametric tests confirmed an approach bias for high-calorie food. CONCLUSION A behavioural bias for food was specific to high-calorie food objects. The results confirm the presence of bottom-up advantages in motor-cognitive behaviour for high-calorie food in a non-clinical population. More systematic variations of object fidelity and in clinical populations are outstanding. The utility of VR in assessing approach behaviour is confirmed in this study by exploring manual interactions in a controlled environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp A Schroeder
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, Tübingen 72076, Germany; German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany.
| | - Enrico Collantoni
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Italy; Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, Italy
| | - Johannes Lohmann
- Cognitive Modeling, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Martin V Butz
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, Tübingen 72076, Germany; Cognitive Modeling, Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Christian Plewnia
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Neurophysiology & Interventional Neuropsychiatry, University of Tübingen, Calwerstr. 14, Tübingen 72076, Germany
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Schroeder PA, Collantoni E, Meregalli V, Rabarbari E, Simonazzi C, Svaldi J, Cardi V. Persistent avoidance of virtual food in anorexia nervosa-restrictive type: Results from motion tracking in a virtual stopping task. Int J Eat Disord 2024; 57:624-634. [PMID: 38263753 DOI: 10.1002/eat.24143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Food avoidance is central to patients with anorexia nervosa-restrictive type (AN-R). Competing accounts in experimental psychopathology research suggest that food avoidance may result from automatic, habitual responses or from elevated inhibitory control abilities. This study investigated behavioral trajectories of food avoidance in a novel virtual reality stopping task. METHOD Sixty patients with AN-R and 29 healthy controls with normal weight were investigated using a novel, kinematic task in virtual reality. We recorded spatial displacement in stop- and go-trials to virtual food and control objects. Inhibitory control abilities were operationalized by the VR task in stopping performance (i.e., interrupted movement in stop-trials), whereas we also measured habitual avoidance of virtual food across both go- and stop-trials (i.e., delayed movement relative to nonfood objects). RESULTS In patients with AN-R, hand displacements were shorter to food versus nonfood across stop- and go-trials, reflected in a Stimulus × Group interaction. Healthy controls showed no differences. Importantly, the food-specific effect in AN-R was identical across stop- and go-trials, indicating habitual food avoidance. Moreover, stop error rates (i.e., stop-trials with response) were lower in patients with AN-R. DISCUSSION The findings suggest food-specific habitual avoidance and heightened generalized inhibitory control in AN-R. The continuously delayed displacements during active hand movements across stop- and go-trials indicated the persistence of patients' avoidance of food. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE Experimental research investigates the mechanisms underlying mental disorders such as anorexia nervosa. In this study, we measured interrupted hand movements in response to food pictures or neutral pictures (shoes) in patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy controls. A virtual reality scenario was used. Findings indicated that patients were slower at approaching food, interrupted or not. Key mechanisms of food avoidance can be translated into habit-based treatment options in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp A Schroeder
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Enrico Collantoni
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Valentina Meregalli
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Elisa Rabarbari
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | | | - Jennifer Svaldi
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Valentina Cardi
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, London, UK
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Kaup B, Ulrich R, Bausenhart KM, Bryce D, Butz MV, Dignath D, Dudschig C, Franz VH, Friedrich C, Gawrilow C, Heller J, Huff M, Hütter M, Janczyk M, Leuthold H, Mallot H, Nürk HC, Ramscar M, Said N, Svaldi J, Wong HY. Modal and amodal cognition: an overarching principle in various domains of psychology. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:307-337. [PMID: 37847268 PMCID: PMC10857976 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01878-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Accounting for how the human mind represents the internal and external world is a crucial feature of many theories of human cognition. Central to this question is the distinction between modal as opposed to amodal representational formats. It has often been assumed that one but not both of these two types of representations underlie processing in specific domains of cognition (e.g., perception, mental imagery, and language). However, in this paper, we suggest that both formats play a major role in most cognitive domains. We believe that a comprehensive theory of cognition requires a solid understanding of these representational formats and their functional roles within and across different domains of cognition, the developmental trajectory of these representational formats, and their role in dysfunctional behavior. Here we sketch such an overarching perspective that brings together research from diverse subdisciplines of psychology on modal and amodal representational formats so as to unravel their functional principles and their interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Kaup
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Rolf Ulrich
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Karin M Bausenhart
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Donna Bryce
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Martin V Butz
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - David Dignath
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Carolin Dudschig
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Volker H Franz
- Department of Computer Science, University of Tübingen, Sand 14, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Friedrich
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Caterina Gawrilow
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jürgen Heller
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Markus Huff
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mandy Hütter
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Markus Janczyk
- Department of Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Hartmut Leuthold
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hanspeter Mallot
- Department of Biology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hans-Christoph Nürk
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Ramscar
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Nadia Said
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jennifer Svaldi
- Department of Psychology, Fachbereich Psychologie, University of Tübingen, Schleichstr. 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Mental Health (DZPG), partner site, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Hong Yu Wong
- Department of Philosophy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Vöhringer J, Schroeder PA, Hütter M, Svaldi J. Does inhibitory control spill over to eating behaviors? Two preregistered studies of inhibitory spillover effects on food intake and reactions to food stimuli. Appetite 2023; 191:107083. [PMID: 37832723 DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
Overweight and obesity are worldwide conditions associated with detrimental medical and psychosocial outcomes. As inhibitory control deficits are thought to contribute to weight gain, they are a worthwhile target for new approaches. Previous research has shown that the execution of inhibitory control in one domain leads to a concurrent increase of inhibitory control in another domain, an effect denoted as inhibitory spillover effect (ISE). Therefore, we assumed that exertion of inhibitory control in a food-unrelated domain in overweight and normal weight individuals will decrease food intake in a simultaneous bogus taste test (BTT; study 1) as well as increase food-specific response inhibition ability in a stop signal task (SST; study 2). We assumed stronger effects in overweight individuals. In both studies ISE was induced via cognitive priming and compared to a neutral condition in a group of overweight (OW: n = 46 for study 1, n = 46 for study 2) and normal weight (NW: n = 46 for study 1, n = 46 for study 2) individuals. In the ISE condition with an inhibitory control priming task, participants had to learn and retain control-related words while simultaneously performing a BTT (study 1) or SST (study 2). In the neutral condition, participants followed the same protocol, albeit memorizing neutral (i.e., control-unrelated) words. There was no significant interaction of weight group × cognitive priming condition neither regarding food intake (study 1) nor regarding food-related response inhibition (study 2). Cognitive priming, as implemented in the present studies, does not instigate an ISE strong enough to improve inhibitory control during food intake or food-related response inhibition. Relevant practical and theoretical aspects as well as implications for future research on the ISE are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Vöhringer
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Schleichstraße 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Philipp A Schroeder
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Schleichstraße 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), Partner Site, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Mandy Hütter
- Department of Psychology, Social Cognition and Decision Sciences, University of Tübingen, Schleichstraße 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jennifer Svaldi
- Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Schleichstraße 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany; DZPG (German Center for Mental Health), Partner Site, Tübingen, Germany
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Friehs MA, Siodmiak J, Donzallaz MC, Matzke D, Numssen O, Frings C, Hartwigsen G. No effects of 1 Hz offline TMS on performance in the stop-signal game. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11565. [PMID: 37463991 PMCID: PMC10354051 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38841-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Stopping an already initiated action is crucial for human everyday behavior and empirical evidence points toward the prefrontal cortex playing a key role in response inhibition. Two regions that have been consistently implicated in response inhibition are the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the more superior region of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). The present study investigated the effect of offline 1 Hz transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the right IFG and DLPFC on performance in a gamified stop-signal task (SSG). We hypothesized that perturbing each area would decrease performance in the SSG, albeit with a quantitative difference in the performance decrease after stimulation. After offline TMS, functional short-term reorganization is possible, and the domain-general area (i.e., the right DLPFC) might be able to compensate for the perturbation of the domain-specific area (i.e., the right IFG). Results showed that 1 Hz offline TMS over the right DLPFC and the right IFG at 110% intensity of the resting motor threshold had no effect on performance in the SSG. In fact, evidence in favor of the null hypothesis was found. One intriguing interpretation of this result is that within-network compensation was triggered, canceling out the potential TMS effects as has been suggested in recent theorizing on TMS effects, although the presented results do not unambiguously identify such compensatory mechanisms. Future studies may result in further support for this hypothesis, which is especially important when studying reactive response in complex environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maximilian A Friehs
- Lise-Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany.
- School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
- Psychology of Conflict Risk and Safety, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands.
| | - Julia Siodmiak
- Lise-Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- University of Gdansk, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Michelle C Donzallaz
- Department of Psychology, Psychological Methods Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Dora Matzke
- Department of Psychology, Psychological Methods Unit, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ole Numssen
- Lise-Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Frings
- Department of General Psychology and Methodology, Trier University, Trier, Germany
| | - Gesa Hartwigsen
- Lise-Meitner Research Group Cognition and Plasticity, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
- Wilhelm Wundt Institute for Psychology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
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