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. 2017 Feb 3:7:41736.
doi: 10.1038/srep41736.

Subjective craving and event-related brain response to olfactory and visual chocolate cues in binge-eating and healthy individuals

I Wolz  1   2 , A Sauvaget  3   4 , R Granero  2   5 , G Mestre-Bach  1   2 , M Baño  1   2 , V Martín-Romera  5 , M Veciana de Las Heras  6 , S Jiménez-Murcia  1   2 , A Jansen  7 , A Roefs  7 , F Fernández-Aranda  1   2
Affiliations

Subjective craving and event-related brain response to olfactory and visual chocolate cues in binge-eating and healthy individuals

I Wolz et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

High-sugar/high-fat foods are related to binge-eating behaviour and especially people with low inhibitory control may encounter elevated difficulties to resist their intake. Incentive sensitization to food-related cues might lead to increased motivated attention towards these stimuli and to cue-induced craving. To investigate the combined influence of olfactory and visual stimuli on craving, inhibitory control and motivated attention, 20 healthy controls and 19 individuals with binge-eating viewed chocolate and neutral pictures, primed by chocolate or neutral odours. Subjective craving and electroencephalogram activity were recorded during the task. N2 and Late Positive Potential (LPP) amplitudes were analysed. Patients reported higher craving than controls. Subjective craving, N2 and LPP amplitudes were higher for chocolate versus neutral pictures. Patients showed a higher relative increase in N2 amplitudes to chocolate versus neutral pictures than controls. Chocolate images induced significant increases in craving, motivated attention and measures of cognitive control. Chocolate odour might potentiate the craving response to visual stimuli, especially in patients with binge-eating.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Experimental task and conditions.
EEG = Electroencephalogram; FCCQ-S = Food Chocolate Craving Questionnaire; VAS = visual analogue scale.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Event-related potentials in response to chocolate and neutral pictures.
The graphs show grand averages of stimulus-locked electrophysiological activity from 200 ms before to 1200 ms after stimulus onset. First row: N2 amplitudes (μV) at left (AF3), central (AFz) and right (AF4) anterior-frontal electrode sites. Second row: LPP amplitudes (μV) at left (P3), central (Pz) and right (P4) posterior electrode sites. HC = Healthy control; BEP = Binge-eating patients; LPP = Late Positive Potential.
Figure 3
Figure 3. N2 amplitudes (in μV) in response to the presentation of neutral and chocolate pictures for individuals with binge-eating and healthy controls.
The graph shows the significant interaction between odour type, picture type and group, which was explained by enhanced amplitudes in response to chocolate pictures preceded by chocolate odour as compared to neutral odour for binge-eating patients, which was not found for healthy controls. Furthermore, there were higher amplitudes during neutral picture processing in healthy controls as compared to patients with binge-eating, but N2 amplitudes in response to chocolate pictures did not differ between groups. Error bars represent standard errors.
Figure 4
Figure 4. Difference waves for N2 (left panel) and LPP (right panel) amplitudes.
Electrophysiological activity during processing of chocolate pictures after subtracting activity during processing of neutral pictures. HC = Healthy control; BEP = Binge-eating patients; LPP = Late Positive Potential.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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