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Executive personality traits and eating behavior.

Marcello Spinella1, Jennifer Lyke

  • 1Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, Pomona, New Jersey 08240-0195, USA. marcello.spinella@stockton.edu

The International Journal of Neuroscience
|December 9, 2003
PubMed
Summary

Executive functioning, or executive function, impacts eating behaviors. Impaired executive function in healthy individuals correlated with disinhibited eating, increased food cravings, and compensatory eating behaviors.

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia involve behavioral dysregulation suggesting prefrontal cortex dysfunction.
  • Functional neuroimaging reveals prefrontal-subcortical systems are crucial for appetite and eating behavior regulation.
  • Alterations in these systems are observed in individuals with eating disorders, and damage to them can disrupt eating behavior.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between executive functioning and eating behaviors in healthy adults.
  • To explore how traits associated with executive dysfunction correlate with specific eating patterns and cravings.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized validated psychometric scales: the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale and the Eating Inventory.

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  • Analyzed correlations between dysexecutive traits and various aspects of eating behavior, including disinhibition, cravings, and cognitive restraint.

    • Main Results:

    • A significant positive correlation was found between dysexecutive traits and disinhibited eating patterns.
    • Increased food cravings were also associated with higher levels of dysexecutive traits.
    • A positive association was observed between dysexecutive traits and cognitive restraint, suggesting compensatory eating behaviors.

    Conclusions:

    • Psychometric findings support the role of prefrontal systems in regulating eating behavior.
    • Executive functioning deficits are linked to problematic eating patterns and cravings even in healthy individuals.
    • These results complement neuroimaging studies, reinforcing the connection between prefrontal function and eating.