Cognitive Food Processing in Binge-Eating Disorder: An Eye-Tracking Study.

Ingmar Sperling,Sabrina Baldofski,Patrick Lüthold,Anja Hilbert

doi:10.3390/nu9080903

Ingmar Sperling, Sabrina Baldofski + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu9080903

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Abstract

Studies indicate an attentional bias towards food in binge-eating disorder (BED); however, more evidence on attentional engagement and disengagement and processing of multiple attention-competing stimuli is needed. This study aimed to examine visual attention to food and non-food stimuli in BED. In n = 23 participants with full-syndrome and subsyndromal BED and n = 23 individually matched healthy controls, eye-tracking was used to assess attention to food and non-food stimuli during a free exploration paradigm and a visual search task. In the free exploration paradigm, groups did not differ in their initial fixation position. While both groups fixated non-food stimuli significantly longer than food stimuli, the BED group allocated significantly more attention towards food than controls. In the visual search task, groups did not differ in detection times. However, a significant detection bias for food was found in full-syndrome BED, but not in controls. An increased initial attention towards food was related to greater BED symptomatology and lower body mass index (BMI) only in full-syndrome BED, while a greater maintained attention to food was associated with lower BMI in controls. The results suggest food-biased visual attentional processing in adults with BED. Further studies should clarify the implications of attentional processes for the etiology and maintenance of BED.

Highlights

IntroductionBinge-eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder with high clinical significance [1]
Binge-eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder with high clinical significance [1].It is associated with increased psychopathology, the impairment of quality of life, and being overweight and obese [2]
Gaze duration on food vs. non-food stimuli was prolonged in binge-eating disorder (BED) compared to controls in the free exploration task, while both groups overall allocated more attention towards non-food than food stimuli

Summary

Introduction

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is the most prevalent eating disorder with high clinical significance [1]. It is associated with increased psychopathology, the impairment of quality of life, and being overweight and obese [2]. BED is characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, involving the consumption of an objectively large amount of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control in the absence of regular inappropriate compensatory behaviors [2]. BED was shown to be associated with increased eating disorder psychopathology (e.g., weight and shape concern), general psychopathology (e.g., comorbid depression, anxiety disorder, borderline personality disorder, and substance use disorders), and obesity, providing evidence for its clinical significance [5,6]

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