Effekte der Stromstimulation während des Schlafes auf das deklarative Gedächtnis und die Befindlichkeit bei Patienten mit depressiver Episode

Mit einer Lebenszeitprävalenz von über 20 Prozent ist die Depression eine der häufigsten Krankheiten weltweit. Sie ist damit von großem gesellschaftlichem Interesse und auch für jeden einzelnen Erkrankten mit einer erheblichen Beeinträchtigung verbunden. Zu dem vielfältigen Symptomkomplex zählen unter anderem auch Schlafstörungen, sowie Gedächtnis- und Konzentrationsdefizite. Im Rahmen einer Depression wurden verkürzte Tiefschlafphasen beobachtet. Da insbesondere dem Tiefschlaf eine entscheidende Rolle bei der Konsolidierung deklarativer Gedächtnisinhalte zugesprochen wird, kann diese Schlafpathologie zusätzlich zu funktionellen Einbußen führen. Nachdem in mehreren Studien eine positive Wirkung der transkraniellen Stromstimulation während des Schlafens auf das deklarative Gedächtnis und die subjektive Befindlichkeit beobachtet werden konnte, war die Aufgabe dieser Studie zu untersuchen, wie sich die Stimulation bei Patienten mit depressiver Episode auswirkt. In unserer Studie mit 11 Probanden zeigte sich, dass zwar die deklarative Gedächtnisleistung keine Verbesserung durch die Stimulation erfuhr, es sich aber hinsichtlich der Stimmung positive Effekte beobachten ließen. Die positive Wirkung auf das affektive Befinden könnte darauf zurück zu führen sein, dass die durch die Stimulation induzierten langsamen endogenen Oszillationen Regenerationsprozesse im synaptischen Netzwerk unterstützen und dieser Effekt über den Schlaf hinausgehend auch das Empfinden am Tag verbessert

Boredom, Interoceptive Ability, and Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is a commonly described phenomenon reported by individuals across the weight spectrum. Not only does existing evidence suggest it is not an effective emotion regulation strategy, but emotional eating is also associated with difficulty losing weight during weight loss interventions and other negative health outcomes. The majority of existing work in the area of emotional eating has focused on the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Yet, there are data suggesting that different emotions appear to produce different changes in eating behaviors, suggesting the importance of investigating the influence of discrete emotions on eating. The lack of understanding regarding eating in response to boredom in particular, is a major gap in the current literature. Moreover, little is known about individual characteristics that could make some individuals more vulnerable to “bored eating.” Given data suggesting interoception as central to other forms of dysregulated eating, as well as its theoretical relevance, the current study focused on interoceptive ability as a vulnerability factor for bored eating. Utilizing an experimental design, Study 1 examined boredom as a trigger of snacking behaviors in a laboratory setting. Due to COVID-19, data collection was terminated early, but preliminary results provided tentative support for a causal role of boredom in food consumption. Study 2 was a cross-sectional, correlational extension of Study 1. Consistent with predictions, Study 2 found that boredom proneness was a significant predictor of emotional eating, even when accounting for the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Inconsistent with hypotheses, the association between boredom proneness and emotional eating was not moderated by interoception. Findings have implications for the prevention and treatment of emotional eating

Boredom, Interoceptive Ability, and Emotional Eating

Emotional eating is a commonly described phenomenon reported by individuals across the weight spectrum. Not only does existing evidence suggest it is not an effective emotion regulation strategy, but emotional eating is also associated with difficulty losing weight during weight loss interventions and other negative health outcomes. The majority of existing work in the area of emotional eating has focused on the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Yet, there are data suggesting that different emotions appear to produce different changes in eating behaviors, suggesting the importance of investigating the influence of discrete emotions on eating. The lack of understanding regarding eating in response to boredom in particular, is a major gap in the current literature. Moreover, little is known about individual characteristics that could make some individuals more vulnerable to “bored eating.” Given data suggesting interoception as central to other forms of dysregulated eating, as well as its theoretical relevance, the current study focused on interoceptive ability as a vulnerability factor for bored eating. Utilizing an experimental design, Study 1 examined boredom as a trigger of snacking behaviors in a laboratory setting. Due to COVID-19, data collection was terminated early, but preliminary results provided tentative support for a causal role of boredom in food consumption. Study 2 was a cross-sectional, correlational extension of Study 1. Consistent with predictions, Study 2 found that boredom proneness was a significant predictor of emotional eating, even when accounting for the broad dimensions of negative and positive affect. Inconsistent with hypotheses, the association between boredom proneness and emotional eating was not moderated by interoception. Findings have implications for the prevention and treatment of emotional eating

Predicting Weight Loss Following Bariatric Surgery: The Impact of Stress, Depression, Social Support and Patient Gender

The buffering effect of social support against a range of stress-related health outcomes has been well-documented in a variety of research areas; however, no previous work has examined the applicability of this model to bariatric surgery outcomes. Additionally, based on previous evidence and relevant theoretical work, the stress-buffering effect of social support may show important gender differences. The current study examined stress, depression, social support, and patient gender as predictors of curvilinear weight loss trajectories during the first year following surgery. Data were collected using retrospective chart review. The buffering effects of three types of support were explored using growth curve modeling: structural, emotional, and functional support. On average, patients lost 27% of their total body weight between baseline and the 12 month follow up. Additionally, the current study found partial support for the stress-buffering model of social support among bariatric surgery patients. Overall, emotional and functional support appear be most relevant to weight loss/maintenance in this population; structural support did not predict weight loss or show any significant interactions with stress or depression. However, results varied depending on patient gender and whether patients reported experiencing high levels of stress (significant interaction with emotional support) or depression (significant interaction with functional support). Such findings have important implications for assessment and follow-up care after bariatric surgery, as well as for future research in this area

The Role of Craving in Emotional and Uncontrolled Eating

This study presents a novel application of the cognitive processing model of alcohol craving (CPMA) from the addictions field to the role of food craving in the well-established restrained eating–overeating relationship associated with binge eating disorder (BED). A community sample (N = 1058, ages 18-66) completed an online survey assessing four core domains: restrained eating, trait food craving, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. In accordance with the CPMA, food craving emerged as a significant indirect effect of the association between restrained eating and both uncontrolled and emotional eating. Gender did not significantly moderate any direct or indirect associations, suggesting that gender may not change the pattern of association between restrained eating and different facets of overeating. Results suggest that treatments targeting binge eating behaviors may benefit from 1) explicitly addressing the activation of food craving rather than concentrating on reducing restrained eating and 2) recognizing that food craving may be an important gender-neutral target with the potential to reduce binge and overeating behaviors. Future research should extend these preliminary findings by examining the application of the CPMA to eating behaviors while jointly investigating antecedents and contextual factors

The Role of Craving in Emotional and Uncontrolled Eating

This study presents a novel application of the cognitive processing model of alcohol craving (CPMA) from the addictions field to the role of food craving in the well-established restrained eating–overeating relationship associated with binge eating disorder (BED). A community sample (N = 1058, ages 18-66) completed an online survey assessing four core domains: restrained eating, trait food craving, uncontrolled eating, and emotional eating. In accordance with the CPMA, food craving emerged as a significant indirect effect of the association between restrained eating and both uncontrolled and emotional eating. Gender did not significantly moderate any direct or indirect associations, suggesting that gender may not change the pattern of association between restrained eating and different facets of overeating. Results suggest that treatments targeting binge eating behaviors may benefit from 1) explicitly addressing the activation of food craving rather than concentrating on reducing restrained eating and 2) recognizing that food craving may be an important gender-neutral target with the potential to reduce binge and overeating behaviors. Future research should extend these preliminary findings by examining the application of the CPMA to eating behaviors while jointly investigating antecedents and contextual factors

Eating Disorder Symptomatology Among Adolescents Presenting for Bariatric Surgery Candidacy: Examining Differences by Sex and Racial Minority Status.

BACKGROUND: Research on adolescent bariatric surgery candidates is limited by insufficient inclusion of ethnic minorities and males, and lack of consideration of the full spectrum of disordered eating behaviors (i.e., restriction, compensatory behaviors [e.g., purging], overeating/binge eating behaviors). OBJECTIVES: The current study investigated differences in the full range of disordered eating behaviors across sex and ethnicity among adolescents seeking bariatric surgery. SETTING: Teaching hospital, United States. METHODS: Data were collected using retrospective chart review of 79 adolescent bariatric surgery candidates (59% female, 46.8% Hispanic, M RESULTS: Approximately 33% of study participants met self-reported criteria for an eating disorder, with 35% endorsing binge eating behaviors and 50% endorsing compensatory behaviors. Few differences in behavior frequencies were observed across sex or racial/ethnic status. CONCLUSIONS: Findings underscore the importance of assessing the full spectrum of disordered eating behaviors among adolescent bariatric surgery candidates

Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Brief Approach and Avoidance of Alcohol Questionnaire

Background: The Approach and Avoidance of Alcohol Questionnaire (AAAQ) was developed as a measure of craving to assess both desires to consume and desires to avoid consuming alcohol. Although the measure has been used in a variety of populations to predict future alcohol use behavior, the factor structures observed vary based on sample type (e.g., clinical vs. college samples) and may be overly long for use in repeated measures designs. The current article describes the development of a brief version of the AAAQ for use in clinical populations. Methods: Using existing data sets of individuals in treatment for alcohol use disorder, exploratory analyses (e.g., exploratory factor analysis and item response theory) were conducted using an inpatient sample (N = 298) at a substance abuse treatment facility. Confirmatory analyses (e.g., confirmatory factor analysis and multiple regression) were conducted using an inpatient detoxification sample (N = 175) and a longitudinal outpatient treatment sample (N = 53). Results: The brief AAAQ had comparable internal consistency, explained a similar amount of variance in alcohol consumption and related problems, and exhibited superior model fit as compared to the original measure. Conclusions: These findings indicate that the brief AAAQ is an effective tool to assess alcohol craving in clinical populations in treatment settings