Neural basis of approach and avoidance responses to food in 12-month-old infants following emotional state changes

Emotional Eating (EE) behaviours may emerge throughout childhood as a function of maladaptive interoceptive abilities, where eating occurs in response to emotional states rather than to satisfy hunger signals. Genetic and neurobiological factors contribute to EE, indicating that underlying neural mechanisms may precede the manifestation of these behaviours. We examined the neural processes associated with the early development of EE. Twelve-month-old infants attended the lab and ate lunch until satiation before being exposed to a frustration-inducing task. While wearing an EEG cap, infants viewed pictures of liked foods and non-foods. We measured infants' behavioural reactivity to the frustration task, Frontal Alpha Asymmetry (FAA) indicating approach-avoidance responses to food and non-food stimuli, and collected parent-reported data on infant appetitive traits and temperament, and feeding practices. At low levels of emotional reactivity to frustration, infants showed more approach to non-food stimuli, whereas for some infants with higher emotional reactivity, stronger FAA approach activity was observed towards food stimuli. Additionally, parental use of feeding to regulate emotions predicted higher FAA approach responses to both food and non-food stimuli. These results suggest that infants' neural responses to a change in emotional state are associated with approach-avoidance tendencies towards food and non-food stimuli, before EE behaviours emerge. However, associations between food approach tendencies and parental influences at 12months remain unclear.