Univariate and Multivariate Pattern Analysis Reveals the Effects of Negative Body Image at Fatness on Food-Related Inhibitory Control

TL;DR

This study shows that negative body image affects how people control their responses to food, similar to those who are overweight or obese.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel approach linking negative body image with food-related inhibitory control using EEG and multivariate analysis.

Findings

HNN participants showed better inhibitory control and higher no-go accuracy than controls.

HNN group exhibited increased conflict detection for high-calorie foods and reduced conflict resolution.

MVPA revealed earlier neural discrimination in the HNN group, indicating more efficient inhibitory processing.

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Perceptions of obesity critically influence people’s eating behaviors and responses to food stimuli. However, few studies have investigated the impact of negative body perception on behavioral and neural responses to food stimuli. This study investigates how elevated body dissatisfaction modulates food-related inhibitory control. Methods: Fifty-one participants comprising three cohorts—overweight/obese individuals (OO), normal-weight participants exhibiting high negative body image (HNN), and healthy controls—performed a food-specific inhibitory control task under EEG recording. Results: The results showed that the HNN cohort achieved superior no-go accuracy and enhanced inhibitory control compared to controls. An event-related potentials (ERPs) analysis revealed increased conflict detection (P200) for high-calorie foods and reduced conflict resolution (LPP) in the HNN group, similar to the overweight/obese group. A multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) identified earlier neural discrimination in the HNN group, suggesting more efficient inhibitory processing. Conclusions: These findings underscore negative body perception as a critical modulator of food-related cognitive control mechanisms.

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