A Behavioral and Event-Related Potentials Study of Food-Related Inhibitory Control in Probable Binge Eating Disorder

Abstract

Background

Similar to addictive disorders, deficits on cognitive control might be involved in the onset and development of Binge Eating Disorder (BED). However, it remains unclear whether general or food-related inhibitory control impairments would be basically linked to overeating and binge eating behaviors. This study thus aimed to investigate behavioral performance and electrophysiological correlates of food-related inhibitory control among individuals with binge eating behavior.

Methods

Sixty individuals with probable BED (pBED) and 60 well-matched healthy controls (HCs) were assessed using the typical Stop-Signal Task, a revised Go/No Go Task, and a food-related Go/No Go Task. Besides, another separate sample, including 35 individuals with pBED and 35 HCs, completed the food-related Go/No Go Task when EEG signals were recorded with the event-related potentials (ERPs).

Results

The data revealed that the pBED group performed worse with a longer SSRT on the Stop-Signal Task compared with HCs (Cohen’s d = 0.58, p = 0.002). Moreover, on the food-related Go/No Go Task, the pBED group had a lower success rate of inhibition in no-go trials (Cohen’s d = 0.47, p = 0.012). The ERPs data showed that in comparison with HCs, the pBED group exhibited increased P300 latency (FC1, FC2, F3, F4, FZ) in the no-go trials of the food-related Go/No Go Task (Cohen’s d 0.56–0.73, all p < 0.05).

Conclusion

These findings suggested that individuals with binge eating could be impaired in both non-specific and food-related inhibitory control aspects, and the impairments in food-related inhibitory control might be linked to P300 abnormalities, implying a behavioral-neurobiological dysfunction mechanism implicated in BED.

Keywords:

• binge eating disorder
• inhibitory control
• stop-signal
• Go-No Go
• ERPs

Data Sharing Statement

Data could be obtained by contacting the corresponding author.

Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

The study was conducted according to the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki, and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Guizhou Medical University (2020LS05). Informed consent was obtained from all subjects involved in the study.

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful for all the participants in this study. We also thank Dr. Richard Tossell for his proofreading on our manuscript.

Author Contributions

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that is in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has been submitted; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos: 32060195 and 31560284) to Dr. Wan-Sen Yan.