A narrative review of reward sensitivity, rash impulsivity, and food addiction in adolescents

Psychometric Properties of the Dimensional Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0 among Portuguese Adolescents

The dimensional Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0 (dYFAS-C 2.0) was developed to provide a reliable psychometric measure for assessing food addiction in adolescents, in accordance with the updated addiction criteria proposed in the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). The present study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the dYFAS-C 2.0 among Portuguese adolescents and pre-adolescents and to explore the relationship between food addiction and other eating behaviors such as grazing and intuitive eating. The participants were 131 Portuguese adolescents and pre-adolescents (53.4% female and 46.6% male) aged between 10 and 15 years (Mage = 11.8) and with a BMI between 11.3 and 35.3 (MBMI z-score = 0.42). Confirmatory Factor Analysis demonstrated an adequate fit for the original one-factor model (χ2 (104) = 182; p < 0.001; CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.97; NFI = 0.94; SRMR = 0.101; RMSEA = 0.074; 95% CI [0.056; 0.091]). Food addiction was positively correlated with higher grazing (r = 0.69, p < 0.001) and negatively correlated with lower reliance on hunger/satiety cues (r = -0.22, p = 0.015). No significant association was found between food addiction and BMI z-score, or between food addiction and age. The results support the use of dYFAS-C 2.0 as a valid and reliable measure for assessing food addiction in Portuguese adolescents and pre-adolescents. Furthermore, the findings highlight that food addiction may be part of a spectrum of disordered eating behaviors associated with control impairment. Future research with a larger sample size could further elucidate the associations between food addiction and other variables, such as psychological distress and multi-impulsive spectrum behaviors.

Self-regulation profiles in addictive behaviors among adolescents: A transdiagnostic approach

Dual-pathway models suggest that poor self-regulation (immature regulatory combined with strong reactive processes) is an important factor underlying addictive behaviors among adolescents. This study examined whether there are different self-regulation profiles among community adolescents, and how these profiles are related to the presence, severity and comorbidity of different addictive behaviors. A community sample of 341 adolescents (54.5% female; 13-17 years) was recruited. Participants self-reported on regulatory (inhibitory control) and reactive (reward and punishment sensitivity) processes, as well as on different addictive behaviors (binge eating, tobacco-, cannabis- and alcohol use, gaming, gambling and pathological buying). A model-based clustering analysis found evidence for three meaningful profiles: 'impulsive/under-controlled', 'anxious' and 'protective'. The 'impulsive/under-controlled' profile was characterized by the highest prevalence and severity of cannabis use and the most severe alcohol use. The 'impulsive/under-controlled' and 'protective' profiles demonstrated the highest prevalence and severity of tobacco use, whereas the 'impulsive/under-controlled' and 'anxious' profiles showed the highest binge eating scores. Adolescents who reported more than three types of addictive behaviors generally belonged to the 'impulsive/under-controlled' profile. The profiles did not differ for gaming, gambling and pathological buying. The 'impulsive/under-controlled' profile emerged as the most vulnerable profile in the context of addictive behaviors (especially for binge eating and substance use).

The reinforcement sensitivity theory affects questionnaire (RST-AQ). A validation study of a new scale targeting affects related to anxiety, approach motivation and fear

This paper presents the RST-AQ, a 22-item scale to measure the affective states related to the three motivational systems postulated by Reinforcement Sensitivity theory (RST-AQ): the Behavioral approach system (BAS), Behavioral inhibition system (BIS), and the Fight-Flight-Freeze system (FFFS). The three subscales are internally consistent. Results show an overall support for construct validity of our RST-AQ measure. The correlations of the RST-AQ subscales with other measures demonstrate a good convergent and divergent validity with regard to the subscales of BAS and BIS. The RTS-AQ Scale provides researcher with the first instrument to measures the affective states of the RST theory.

Buying-shopping disorder, impulsivity, emotional dependence and attachment in adolescents

In recent years, several studies have shown that the incidence of buying-shopping disorder (BSD) is increasing. Impulsivity is one of the factors involved in its aetiology and is related to emotional dependence. In addition, early affective deprivation may trigger emotional dependence. The aims of the present study weresal: to compare the types of attachment, levels of emotional dependence, impulsivity and BSD according to sex; to determine whether the proposed relational model is fulfilled; and analyse possible differences in this model in terms of the sample's sex. The sample consisted of 1498 adolescents (53.8% men and 46.2% women) from Ecuador whose age ranged from 14 to 18 years (M = 15.77, SD = 1.21). The results showed that a preoccupied attachment style is indirectly related to a higher risk of BSD due to emotional dependence when impulsivity levels are medium or high because emotional dependence is moderated by impulsivity. The study variables are related in the same way in men and women but boys show higher levels of preoccupied attachment, impulsivity, emotional dependence and BSD. This study gives us a clearer picture of how these variables are related and provides information that could be of great use in assisting people with BSD. This knowledge could be applied to improve both the treatment and prevention of this problem.

Food Addiction: A Comprehensive Review

Food addiction is associated with dysfunctions in the reward circuit, such as hyperresponsiveness during the exposure to high-calorie flavors in overweight and obese individuals. Similar to drug addiction, there is also impaired self-regulatory control supported by deregulation of the frontostriatal circuit. The inclusion of validated measures of food addiction in clinical research, such as the Yale Food Addiction Scale, has increased the understanding of the clinical utility of this concept. Furthermore, food addiction, eating disorders, and obesity are interrelated. Thus, it is important to recognize food addiction among individuals affected by obesity and candidates for bariatric surgery (ie, preoperative and postoperative assessment). In this context, it has been reported that food addiction may impede weight loss and increase the likelihood of regaining weight when associated with personality traits such as neuroticism and impulsiveness, which are also related to mood disorders, anxiety, and addictive behaviors.

Prefrontal Cortical Control of Activity in Nucleus Accumbens Core Is Weakened by High-Fat Diet and Prevented by Co-Treatment with N-Acetylcysteine: Implications for the Development of Obesity

A loss of neuroplastic control on nucleus accumbens (NAc) neuronal activity exerted by the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) through long-term depression (LTD) is involved in triggering drug-seeking behavior and relapse on several substances of abuse due to impaired glutamate homeostasis in tripartite synapses of the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core. To test whether this maladaptive neuroplastic mechanism underlies the addiction-like behavior induced in young mice by a high-fat diet (HFD), we utilized 28-days-old male mice fed HFD ad-libitum over 2 weeks, followed by 5 days of HFD abstinence. Control groups were fed a regular diet. HFD fed mice showed increased ΔFosB levels in the NAc core region, whereas LTD triggered from the mPFC became suppressed. Interestingly, LTD suppression was prevented by an i.p. injection of 100 mg/kg N-acetylcysteine 2.5 h before inducing LTD from the mPFC. In addition, excessive weight gain due to HFD feeding was diminished by adding 2mg/mL N-acetylcysteine in drinking water. Those results show a loss of neuroplastic mPFC control over NAc core activity induced by HFD consumption in young subjects. In conclusion, ad libitum consumption of HFD can lead to neuroplastic changes an addiction-like behavior that can be prevented by N-acetylcysteine, helping to decrease the rate of excessive weight gain.

Risk patterns in food addiction: a Mexican population approach

BACKGROUND

Food addiction (FA) is a construct that has gained interest in recent years but its relevance in Mexican population is still unexplored.

AIMS

The present study has the aims of explore FA in a community of Mexican population, as well as identifying the risk patterns associated with it, in relation to the different etiological factors that have been described such as impulsivity, emotional regulation and eating styles. Furthermore, to identify a predictive model of FA severity.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 160 female and male university students of Pachuca city in México, who volunteered to participate in the study. Assessment included multidimensional measures for FA, eating disorder severity, eating disorder styles, emotional regulation and impulsivity.

RESULTS

A screening of FA-probable was registered for 13.8% of the sample, while 8.1% met criteria for FA-present. The FA-present group differed from FA-absent in the impulsivity levels and in emotional eating style. Patients with FA-present differed from FA-probable in the impulsivity levels. Differences between FA-probable versus FA-absent were found in the restrained eating style. Path analysis evidenced that FA severity was directly associated with older age, worse eating style profile and higher impulsivity levels, and indirectly related with the ED symptom levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that it is possible to establish a specific predictive model of the development of FA and its severity in Mexican population to implement adequate prevention and treatment strategies.

EVIDENCE LEVEL

Level III: evidence obtained from well-designed cohort or case-control analytic studies.

The role of rash impulsivity and sensitivity to reward in soft drink consumption

Soft drink consumption has become a major public health issue. The present study aimed to examine the role of rash impulsivity and reward sensitivity in soft drink consumption using the two-factor model of impulsivity. Participants were a community sample of 229 adults (19-77 years). They completed self-report measures of impulsivity (SUPPS-P), reward sensitivity (RST-PQ) and beverage consumption (BEVQ-15). A principal component analysis was used to produce purer measures of rash impulsivity and reward sensitivity. Both rash impulsivity and reward sensitivity were positively associated with soft drink consumption, and each independently predicted soft drink consumption. Importantly, there was a significant interaction between the two, whereby rash impulsivity moderated the effect of reward sensitivity on soft drink consumption. The results support the logic of the two-factor model of impulsivity in the prediction of soft drink consumption. Further research should extend these findings to other consumption domains in both clinical and non-clinical populations.

Peter JV. Sugars and Sweet Taste: Addictive or Rewarding?

The notion of food "addiction" often focuses on the overconsumption of sweet tasting foods or so-called sugar "addiction". In the extreme, some have suggested that sugar and sweet tastes elicit neural and behavioral responses analogous to those observed with drugs of abuse. These concepts are complicated by the decades long uncertainty surrounding the validity and reproducibility of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) methodologies used to characterize neurobiological pathways related to sugar and sweet taste stimuli. There are also questions of whether sweet taste or post-ingestion metabolic consequences of sugar intake would lead to addiction or excessive caloric intake. Here, we present a focused narrative review of literature related to the reward value of sweet taste which suggests that reward value can be confounded with the construct of "addictive potential". Our review seeks to clarify some key distinctions between these constructs and questions the applicability of the addiction construct to human over-eating behaviors. To adequately frame this broad discussion requires the flexibility offered by the narrative review paradigm. We present selected literature on: techniques used to link sugar and sweet tastes to addiction neurobiology and behaviors; sugar and sweet taste "addiction"; the relationship of low calorie sweetener (LCS) intake to addictive behaviors and total calorie intake. Finally, we examined the reward value of sweet tastes and contrasted that with the literature describing addiction. The lack of reproducibility of fMRI data remains problematic for attributing a common neurobiological pathway activation of drugs and foods as conclusive evidence for sugar or sweet taste "addiction". Moreover, the complicated hedonics of sweet taste and reward value are suggested by validated population-level data which demonstrate that the consumption of sweet taste in the absence of calories does not increase total caloric intake. We believe the neurobiologies of reward value and addiction to be distinct and disagree with application of the addiction model to sweet food overconsumption. Most hypotheses of sugar "addiction" attribute the hedonics of sweet foods as the equivalent of "addiction". Further, when addictive behaviors and biology are critically examined in totality, they contrast dramatically from those associated with the desire for sweet taste. Finally, the evidence is strong that responses to the palatability of sweets rather than their metabolic consequences are the salient features for reward value. Thus, given the complexity of the controls of food intake in humans, we question the usefulness of the "addiction" model in dissecting the causes and effects of sweet food over-consumption.

Selection, optimization and compensation strategies and their relationship with well-being and impulsivity in early, middle and late adulthood in a Polish sample

BACKGROUND

The model of selection, optimization, and compensation (SOC model) characterises the life management strategies that contribute to successful development. Although the SOC model is an important developmental theory, until now there has been no Polish version of a measurement tool for SOC strategies. The studies conducted so far have consistently indicated a relationship between the use of these strategies and well-being. In contrast, the relationship between SOC strategies and impulsivity has not yet been empirically examined, although there are theoretical premises to assume its existence. The aim of the study was to compare the use of SOC strategies in early, middle and late adulthood, and to investigate the relationship between the use of SOC strategies and well-being and impulsivity, using a newly developed Polish version of the SOC Questionnaire (SOC48-PL).

METHODS

The study applied a quantitative approach. The sample comprised 589 Poles from three age groups: early adulthood (n = 186, 20-35 years), middle adulthood (n = 165, 40-55 years) and late adulthood (n = 238, 60-85 years). In the study, in addition to the SOC48-PL questionnaire, the Short Depression-Happiness Scale (SDHS) and the Short UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale (S UPPS-P) were used.

RESULTS

Developmental differences in the use of SOC strategies are rather slight, with considerable individual differences within age groups. The study revealed some indications of a 'developmental peak' of SOC strategies in middle adulthood. The use SOC strategies is positively related to well-being. In turn, the relationship between the use of SOC strategies and impulsivity is negative, especially for two dimensions of impulsivity: lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance.

CONCLUSIONS

The results only slightly confirm the assumed age-related differences in the use of SOC strategies and point to a large role of individual differences. The revealed positive relationships of SOC strategy use with well-being and negative with impulsivity are consistent with expectations. With the present study, the SOC48-PL questionnaire may find application in further studies on the SOC model involving the Polish population, as well as in the measurement of SOC strategies in psychological practice. Furthermore, the identified associations of SOC strategies with well-being and impulsivity can be taken as initial indications for the development of interventions based on teaching the use of SOC strategies. Cross-cultural comparisons, long-term longitudinal studies on changes in the use of SOC strategies over the life course, and combining quantitative and qualitative approaches in the analysis of the use of SOC strategies in practice are worth mentioning as directions for further research.

Translation of the Chinese version of the modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 and its validation among college students

BACKGROUND

Obesity prevalence has substantially increased in China over the past decade. In China, over 1 in 7 individuals meet the criteria for overall obesity, and 1 in 3 meet the criteria for abdominal obesity, obesity has become a significant problem. Studies have shown that food addiction and obesity are inextricably linked. The modified Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (mYFAS 2.0) is a brief measurement for assessing food addiction. This study aimed to explore the structure of the Chinese version of the mYFAS 2.0 and assess the occurrence of food addiction in a sample of college students in Northeast China.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was conducted in a sample of 1099 undergraduate students in Northeast China. Participants completed the sociodemographic questionnaire, the Chinese version of the mYFAS 2.0, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-8), and the Self-Esteem Scale (SES) to test the hypothesis. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed to examine the underlying factor structure of the mYFAS 2.0. Two weeks later, 62 students who participated in the first test were recruited to evaluate the test-retest reliability.

RESULTS

The Chinese version of the mYFAS 2.0 demonstrated adequate internal consistency, good test-retest reliability and satisfactory construct validity. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis found that the Chinese version of the mYFAS 2.0 demonstrated a good fit to the two-factor solution identified by the exploratory factor analysis and showed superior fit indices compared to the one-factor model. The prevalence of food addiction in our sample was found to be in line with rates observed in other Asian and Western samples. The mYFAS 2.0 symptom count scores were correlated with BMI, the idea of dieting to lose weight, the desire to overeat, low self-esteem, and impulsivity.

CONCLUSION

The results indicate that the Chinese version of the mYFAS 2.0 has good reliability and validity, and that it can be considered a tool to evaluate the addictive eating behaviours of undergraduate students.

Clusterin overexpression as a potential neuroprotective response to the pathological effects of high fat dieting on the brain reward system

High-fat diets (HFDs) can lead to pathological changes in the brain underlying several behavioral disturbances (e.g., reward deficiency). To further increase our knowledge of these associations, we studied the sucrose reward and the brain expression of clusterin, a protein that is overexpressed after several kind of brain damaging conditions. C57BL/6J male mice were differentially fed on an HFD or standard chow for 41 days and underwent 11 sucrose place conditioning sessions followed by 4 extinction sessions to monitor the effects of HFD on sucrose reward by means of free choice tests. We quantified clusterin expression by immunochemistry in the nucleus accumbens, dorsal striatum and cingulate cortex. HFD tended to provoke a transient potentiation in the acquisition of sucrose-conditioned place preference, but this effect was followed by a much more consistent reduction in sucrose preference, which spontaneously disappeared after 31 days of an HFD with no need for extinction learning. The HFD mice showed higher clusterin expression in the nucleus accumbens but not in the other brain areas studied. The results confirm that HFDs strongly influence the rewarding properties of palatable foods and suggest a direct connection with neurotoxic alterations in the brain reward system tagged by clusterin overexpression.