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Brain Sciences
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Hedonic, Motivation and Learning Mechanisms of Ingestive Behavior
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Hedonic, Motivation and Learning Mechanisms of Ingestive Behavior

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 November 2023) | Viewed by 11652

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Paolo D'Aquila

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Viale San Pietro 43/b, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Interests: dopamine; dopamine receptor; ingestion; licking microstructure; motivation; reward; behavioral activation; antidepressant drugs; depression model
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Studies on ingestion, e.g., studies on ingestion microstructure, meal pattern, and ingestion-related paradigms, e.g., studies on operant responding for food rewards, provide important behavioral substrates both for the study of the neural mechanisms underlying the motivation to eat and for modelling aspects of eating disorders. Moreover, the study of the hedonic, motivation and learning processes involved in ingestive behavior might provide evidence whose relevance is not limited to the study of the mechanisms governing ingestion. For example, it is well known that eating disorders, e.g., binge-eating disorders, and substance use disorders show profound similarities both at the behavioral level and at the level of the neurobiological substrates involved. In addition, behavioral paradigms based either on ingestive behavior or on ingestive-related behaviors might be used, on the one hand, to test the effect of drugs in relation to their potential therapeutic effect in eating disorders, and, on the other hand, to characterize their effects on hedonic, motivation and learning mechanisms which might be of more general relevance. The aim of this Special Issue is to cover current research on ingestion and ingestive-related behavior, both on the physiological and on the pathological aspects, with a focus on the investigation of the neural substrates underlying learning, hedonic and motivation processes.

Dr. Paolo D'Aquila
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Brain Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ingestion
  • learning
  • motivation
  • reward evaluation
  • hedonic impact
  • obesity
  • eating disorders

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1900 KiB  
Article
Modification of Body-Related Attentional Bias through Virtual Reality and Eye-Tracking in Healthy Participants: Implications for Anorexia Nervosa Treatments
by Helena Miquel-Nabau, Natalia Briseño-Oloriz, Bruno Porras-Garcia, Mariarca Ascione, Franck-Alexandre Meschberger-Annweiler, Marta Ferrer-Garcia, Manuel Moreno-Sanchez, Eduardo Serrano-Troncoso, Marta Carulla-Roig and José Gutiérrez Maldonado
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(5), 764; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13050764 - 05 May 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1579
Abstract
Cognitive biases have a significant impact on the etiology and treatment of eating disorders (EDs). These biases, including selective attentional bias (AB) to disliked body parts, may reinforce concerns about body shape, fear of gaining weight and body image disturbances and may contribute [...] Read more.
Cognitive biases have a significant impact on the etiology and treatment of eating disorders (EDs). These biases, including selective attentional bias (AB) to disliked body parts, may reinforce concerns about body shape, fear of gaining weight and body image disturbances and may contribute to dietary restriction and restraint. Decreasing AB could reduce core symptoms in anorexia nervosa (AN). This study represents a preliminary exploration aiming to assess whether AB towards weight-related (WR) and non-weight-related (NW) body parts could be reduced through an AB modification task in a virtual reality (VR) environment in healthy participants. A total of 54 female participants, aged 22.98 ± 1.89, were recruited. The task consisted of directing the participants’ attention towards all body parts equally in a VR setting. Eye-tracking (ET) measurements (complete fixation time [CFT] and number of fixations [NF]) were made before and after the task. The results showed a significant reduction of the AB in the two groups with an initial AB towards WR body parts or towards NW body parts. Participants showed a tendency to more balanced (non-biased) attention after the intervention. This study provides evidence of the usefulness of AB modification tasks in a non-clinical sample. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hedonic, Motivation and Learning Mechanisms of Ingestive Behavior)
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19 pages, 752 KiB  
Article
Influence of Executive Function Training on BMI, Food Choice, and Cognition in Children with Obesity: Results from the TOuCH Study
by Sandra Luis-Ruiz, Cristina Sánchez-Castañeda, Maite Garolera, Sara Miserachs-González, Marta Ramon-Krauel, Carles Lerin, Consuelo Sanchez, Núria Miró, Sònia Martínez and Maria Angeles Jurado
Brain Sci. 2023, 13(2), 346; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci13020346 - 17 Feb 2023
Viewed by 1557
Abstract
Background: Children with obesity have a higher risk of future health and psychological problems. Executive functions (EFs) play a key role in successful dietetic and exercise planning; therefore, new treatments aimed at improving EFs may optimize outcomes. Objectives: This study evaluates the impact [...] Read more.
Background: Children with obesity have a higher risk of future health and psychological problems. Executive functions (EFs) play a key role in successful dietetic and exercise planning; therefore, new treatments aimed at improving EFs may optimize outcomes. Objectives: This study evaluates the impact of EF training on body mass index (BMI), food choice, and cognition in children with obesity. We also examine their real-life executive functioning, emotional state, and quality of life. Methods: Randomized controlled double-blind trial. Forty-six children with obesity were randomly allocated into an executive functions training or a control task training group and attended 30–45 min of daily training (5/week over 6 weeks), with both groups receiving counseling on diet and wearing an activity/sleep tracker. Participants were evaluated at baseline and after treatment. Results: BMI decreased over time in the whole sample, although there were no differences between groups at post-training in BMI, food choice, and cognition. Both groups showed significant improvements in attention, speed, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control. Additionally, there were some benefits in real-life executive functioning and self-esteem. Over the 6 weeks, participants showed worse food choices in both groups. Conclusions: EFs training showed a lack of significant effects. The executive function enhancement alone did not explain these changes, as there were no significant differences between the experimental groups. It might be that the control task training could also produce some benefits, and multi-component interventions might be useful for weight loss. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hedonic, Motivation and Learning Mechanisms of Ingestive Behavior)
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9 pages, 254 KiB  
Article
Sex Differences in Emotions and Eating Behaviors among People Affected by Obesity
by Carmela Mento, Amelia Rizzo, Antonio Bruno, Maria Catena Silvestri, Clemente Cedro, Iman Komaei, Giuseppe Navarra and Maria Rosaria Anna Muscatello
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(12), 1663; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12121663 - 03 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1527
Abstract
Relatively little research has examined sex differences among people affected by obesity. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between negative emotions and eating behaviors, taking into account the role of biological sex. The final sample consists of 200 candidates [...] Read more.
Relatively little research has examined sex differences among people affected by obesity. The aim of this study is to assess the relationship between negative emotions and eating behaviors, taking into account the role of biological sex. The final sample consists of 200 candidates for bariatric surgery, 62 males (31%) and 138 females (69%), aged from 18 to 60 years (M = 40.71; SD = 11.30). Participants were screened with the Binge Scale Questionnaire (BSQ) and individually evaluated with the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Correlations were calculated by splitting the sample by sex. Analyses of the relationship between negative emotions and eating behavior showed a large number of correlations in the sample of women and few correlations in men. The differences between women and men with obesity suggest the need for a different theoretical construct that explains the differentiated mechanisms of functioning and lays the foundations for specific therapeutic paths. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hedonic, Motivation and Learning Mechanisms of Ingestive Behavior)
12 pages, 664 KiB  
Article
Food-Induced Brain Activity in Children with Overweight or Obesity versus Normal Weight: An Electroencephalographic Pilot Study
by Christine Kösling, Lisa Schäfer, Claudia Hübner, Caroline Sebert, Anja Hilbert and Ricarda Schmidt
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(12), 1653; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12121653 - 02 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1430
Abstract
Background: Although increased food cue reactivity is evidenced to be crucial to the development and maintenance of pediatric obesity, virtually nothing is known about the underlying neurophysiological aspects of food cue reactivity in children with obesity. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating neural [...] Read more.
Background: Although increased food cue reactivity is evidenced to be crucial to the development and maintenance of pediatric obesity, virtually nothing is known about the underlying neurophysiological aspects of food cue reactivity in children with obesity. Therefore, this study aimed at investigating neural characteristics in children with overweight or obesity using electroencephalography (EEG). Methods: Electrophysiological brain activity was measured using EEG frequency band analysis in n = 9 children with overweight or obesity versus n = 16 children with normal weight (8–13 years) during the presentation of high- and low-calorie food pictures and images of appealing non-food stimuli. Results: Children with overweight or obesity showed significantly increased relative central beta band activity induced by high-calorie foods and appealing non-food stimuli compared to children with normal weight. Beyond significant effects of the scalp region on EEG activity, non-significant effects of stimulus category or weight status were seen for theta and alpha frequency bands. Conclusions: This study demonstrated elevated beta band activity in children with overweight or obesity when viewing high-calorie food stimuli. Beta band activity may, thus, be a valuable target for neuromodulatory interventions in children with overweight or obesity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hedonic, Motivation and Learning Mechanisms of Ingestive Behavior)
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Review

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20 pages, 399 KiB  
Review
Sucrose Preference Test as a Measure of Anhedonic Behavior in a Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress Model of Depression: Outstanding Issues
by Dmitrii D. Markov
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(10), 1287; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12101287 - 24 Sep 2022
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 4728
Abstract
Despite numerous studies on the neurobiology of depression, the etiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of this disorder remain poorly understood. A large number of animal models and tests to evaluate depressive-like behavior have been developed. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) is the most common [...] Read more.
Despite numerous studies on the neurobiology of depression, the etiological and pathophysiological mechanisms of this disorder remain poorly understood. A large number of animal models and tests to evaluate depressive-like behavior have been developed. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) is the most common and frequently used model of depression, and the sucrose preference test (SPT) is one of the most common tests for assessing anhedonia. However, not all laboratories can reproduce the main effects of CUMS, especially when this refers to a decrease in sucrose preference. It is also unknown how the state of anhedonia, assessed by the SPT, relates to the state of anhedonia in patients with depression. We analyzed the literature available in the PubMed database using keywords relevant to the topic of this narrative review. We hypothesize that the poor reproducibility of the CUMS model may be due to differences in sucrose consumption, which may be influenced by such factors as differences in sucrose preference concentration threshold, water and food deprivation, and differences in animals’ susceptibility to stress. We also believe that comparisons between animal and human states of anhedonia should be made with caution because there are many inconsistencies between the two, including in assessment methods. We also tried to offer some recommendations that should improve the reproducibility of the CUMS model and provide a framework for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hedonic, Motivation and Learning Mechanisms of Ingestive Behavior)
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