Unforgettable food memories in overweight/obese individuals-Evidence from Think/No-Think experiment

Appetite regulation is critically influenced by food-related memories, and the ability to inhibit retrieval of such mnemonic content may serve to attenuate cravings. While inhibitory control is often conceptualized in terms of motor response suppression, the specific mechanisms underlying the suppression of food-related memories remain poorly characterized in overweight and obese (OO) individuals. This study investigated the behavioral and neurophysiological correlates of direct memory suppression in this population. Forty-five young adults performed a Think/No-Think (TNT) task using highand low-calorie food images during electroencephalographic (EEG) recording. We analyzed event-related potentials (ERPs) and time-frequency representations (TFRs). Behaviorally, the OO group demonstrated enhanced memory accuracy for food cues compared to normal-weight (NW) controls, specifically during Think trials. Neurophysiological data revealed a significant modulation of the N200 component by calorie content (p = 0.008). the late positive potential (LPP) was sensitive to both instruction (Think/No-Think; p = 0.04) and group membership (p= 0.029). Timefrequency analysis demonstrated that beta-band oscillatory power differentiated between Think and No-Think conditions (p = 0.001) and revealed a significant group-bycalorie interaction (p = 0.007). Collectively, these findings indicate that OO individuals exhibit altered neural dynamics and heightened engagement of neurocognitive resources during the suppression of food-related memories. This work elucidates a potential mnemonic mechanism contributing to maladaptive eating behaviors and posits that interventions targeting memory inhibition could offer a novel pathway for mitigating obesity-related cognitive dysregulation.