Testing a Reward-Processing Model of Negative Urgency in Women With and Without Binge Eating
Sarah E Racine1, Vittoria Trolio1, Alexia E Miller1
1Department of Psychology, McGill University.
Summary
Negative urgency, the tendency to act impulsively when feeling negative emotions, was studied in women with binge-eating behaviors. Contrary to hypotheses, stress did not enhance reward processing of food, suggesting this is not a primary mechanism.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Negative urgency is linked to psychopathology, but its mechanisms and relation to mental health remain unclear.
- Negative emotions may increase impulsive behavior by enhancing reward processing, a potential mechanism for negative urgency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test an emotion-enhanced reward-processing model of negative urgency.
- To investigate the relationship between negative urgency, stress, and reward processing in women with binge-eating behaviors.
Main Methods:
- 153 women across the binge-eating severity spectrum participated.
- Participants completed two experimental tasks under both stressful and relaxed mood conditions.
- Physiological, behavioral, and self-report measures assessed reward processing of palatable food.
Main Results:
- Contrary to hypotheses, reward processing of food was not heightened under stress compared to relaxation.
- This finding held true for the full sample and for participants with greater negative urgency or binge-eating severity.
- The emotion-enhanced reward-processing model was not supported in this context.
Conclusions:
- The study did not find evidence supporting the emotion-enhanced reward-processing model for negative urgency in women with binge eating.
- Further research is needed to understand the complex mechanisms underlying negative urgency and its link to psychopathology.
- Study limitations and previous mechanistic work were considered in interpreting the findings.
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