A balance of activity in brain control and reward systems predicts self-regulatory outcomes

29Citations
Citations of this article
118Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Previous neuroimaging work has shown that increased reward-related activity following exposure to food cues is predictive of self-control failure. The balance model suggests that self-regulation failures result from an imbalance in reward and executive control mechanisms. However, an open question is whether the relative balance of activity in brain systems associated with executive control (us reward) supports self-regulatory outcomes when people encounter tempting cues in daily life. Sixty-nine chronic dieters, a population known for frequent lapses in self-control, completed a food cue-reactivity task during an fMRI scanning session, followed by a weeklong sampling of daily eating behaviors via ecological momentary assessment. We related participants' food cue activity in brain systems associated with executive control and reward to real- world eating patterns. Specifically, a balance score representing the amount of activity in brain regions associated with selfregulatory control, relative to automatic reward-related activity, predicted dieters' control over their eating behavior during the following week. This balance measure may reflect individual self-control capacity and be useful for examining selfregulation success in other domains and populations.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Lopez, R. B., Chen, P. H. A., Huckins, J. F., Hofmann, W., Kelley, W. M., & Heatherton, T. F. (2017). A balance of activity in brain control and reward systems predicts self-regulatory outcomes. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 12(5), 832–838. https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsx004

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free