We investigate whether training food-specific inhibitory control can modulate wanting for food across body mass index (BMI). Our aims are to examine: (i) whether inhibitory control training alters explicit and/or implicit food wanting, using dedicated behavioral tasks, and (ii) whether inhibitory control training influences brain reactivity to food items, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
Obesity is associated with altered responses to food-related cues and may involve changes in reward processing. Inhibitory control (IC) is a cognitive function implicated in both emotion regulation and eating behavior, and it may vary across individuals. IC has been linked to individual differences in body weight and eating patterns. Consequently, food-related inhibitory control has been proposed as a potential target for interventions aimed at influencing eating behavior and associated reward-related processes in individuals with obesity.
In this project, we investigate whether training food-specific inhibitory control can modulate wanting for food across the body mass index (BMI) spectrum. Fifty-one participants with BMI ranging from 20.1 to 42.9 engaged with a gamified training application for 10 minutes per day, five days per week, over four weeks. Before and after the intervention, we assessed both explicit food wanting (via food image ratings) and implicit food wanting (via grip force). These measures were acquired during 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The main objectives are:
