Got chocolate? Bilateral prefrontal cortex stimulation augments chocolate consumption.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Behavioral Science
• Psychology

Background:

• Self-control is crucial for health behaviors, yet often resistant to change.
• The right inferior frontal gyrus (rIFG) is implicated in self-control.
• Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate rIFG activity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if tDCS targeting the rIFG can reduce chocolate consumption in individuals who self-identify as chocolate cravers.
• To explore the relationship between self-control measures and chocolate consumption following tDCS.

Main Methods:

• A within-subject, double-blind, randomized design with 23 healthy females (ages 18-35).
• Participants received active tDCS (anodal over rIFG, cathodal over left IFG) or sham stimulation in two sessions.
• Measures included self-reported disinhibited eating, delay discounting, inhibitory control (chocolate go/no-go task), and actual chocolate consumption during a taste test.

Main Results:

• Active tDCS significantly increased chocolate consumption compared to sham (43.2g vs. 32.2g, p=0.005).
• tDCS had no significant effect on chocolate ratings.
• Higher delay discounting and self-reported disinhibited eating were associated with greater chocolate consumption.

Conclusions:

• Stimulating the prefrontal cortex, specifically the rIFG, may paradoxically reduce self-control and increase consumption of palatable foods.
• These findings highlight the complexity of using tDCS to modify health behaviors and suggest potential methodological considerations for future research.