Pulling for pleasure? Erotic approach-bias associated with porn use, not problems

Background and Objectives: Addictive behaviors are gaining recognition in the clinical community, leading to more attention for the effects of problematic porn use. As many addictive behaviors are characterized by automatically activated approach-tendencies for disorder-relevant stimuli, we tested whether such tendencies are also present for erotic images and whether these are related to problematic porn use. Methods: Measuring approach-bias for erotic photographs, sixty-two healthy heterosexual and bisexual men completed both a relevant-feature and an irrelevant-feature approach-avoidance task (AAT). Half of participants operated a joystick as response device, the other half a keyboard. We recorded participants’ number of weekly porn-viewing sessions and symptoms of problematic porn use. Results: The irrelevant-feature AAT produced unreliable results and was not analyzed further. In the relevant-feature AAT, participants had an overall approach-bias towards erotic stimuli. Porn use frequency, but not problematic porn use, was associated with with greater erotic approach-bias. This relationship was stronger when measured with a joystick than with a keyboard. Limitations: Our design did not allow to test the causal direction of the relationship between porn use and approach-bias, and our results cannot be generalized to women, non-heterosexual men, and clinical populations. Conclusions: Similar to other addictive behaviors and substances, we found a positive relation between porn use and approach-bias. Future studies using the relevant-feature AAT will likely benefit from using the joystick rather than the keyboard.Sercan Kahveci was supported by the Doctoral College "Imaging the Mind" (FWF; W1233-B)

Characterising binge eating over the course of a feasibility trial among individuals with binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa

This is the final version. Available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.Binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa are eating disorders that are characterized by recurrent binge eating episodes. The highly contextualized nature of binge eating makes naturalistic research a particularly suitable means of understanding the context within which binge eating occurs. The present study aimed to characterise binge eating days with regards to the frequency and probability of negative affect, food craving, meal skipping, and dietary restriction. In addition, it aimed to examine whether a combined intervention that targets the experience of ‘loss of control’ over eating can decrease these potential maintenance factors that often precede binge eating episodes. Seventy-eight participants with bulimia nervosa (N = 40) or binge eating disorder (n = 38), who were randomly allocated to a food-specific or general intervention combining inhibitory control training and implementation intentions, completed mood and food diaries over four weeks. Results suggest that negative affect and food craving were elevated on binge eating days, but that dietary restraint and meal skipping did not characterise binge eating days. Moreover, meal skipping, binge eating, restriction, and compensation decreased throughout the intervention period, while negative affect and food craving did not. This suggests that some interventions may successfully reduce binge eating frequency without necessarily decreasing negative affect or food craving, thus pointing to the different routes to targeting binge eating and providing implications for future interventions.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)H2020 European Research Council (ERC)National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Maudsley NHS Foundation TrustKing's College Londo

Komplexe interozeptive Veränderungen bei Essstörungen: Eine Untersuchung physiologischer, behavioraler, kognitiver und emotionaler Aspekte kardialer Interozeption

peer reviewedEinleitung Interozeption bezeichnet die Wahrnehmung von Signalen aus dem Körperinneren. Sie wird seit langem als transdiagnostischer ätiologischer Faktor für Essstörungen diskutiert. Der Annahme einer generell reduzierten Interozeptionsfähigkeit bei Essstörungen stehen rezent gemischte Befunde gegenüber. Problematisch in vorhandenen Studien ist die Beschränkung auf einzelne Aspekte der Interozeption und einzelne Diagnosegruppen. Um diese Schwächen zu überwinden, untersuchte die vorliegende Studie physiologische, behaviorale, kognitive und emotionale Aspekte der Herzschlagwahrnehmung bei Anorexia nervosa (AN), Bulimia nervosa (BN) und Kontrollpersonen ohne Essstörung. Methoden Bei 146 Teilnehmerinnen (AN = 38, BN = 35, Kontrollpersonen = 73) wurden während einer Ruhephase und einer Herzschlagwahrnehmungsaufgabe EKG und EEG abgeleitet. Ausgewertet wurden Herzschlag-evozierte Hirnpotenziale (zentralnervöse Verarbeitung kardialer Reize; physiologisch), Herzschlagwahrnehmung (interozeptive Akkuranz; behavioral), Vertrauen in die eigene Herzschlagwahrnehmung (interozeptive Sensibilität; kognitiv) und die emotionale Bewertung der Herzschlagwahrnehmung. Ergebnisse Patientinnen mit AN wiesen höhere Herzschlag-evozierte Hirnpotenziale auf; Patientinnen mit AN und BN bewerteten die Herzschlagwahrnehmung negativer als die Kontrollgruppe. Für die Herzschlagwahrnehmung und das Vertrauen darin ergaben sich keine signifikanten Gruppenunterschiede. Schlussfolgerung Anstatt eines übergreifenden interozeptiven Defizits ergab sich ein komplexes Bild interozeptiver Veränderungen. Bei unveränderter Herzschlagwahrnehmung wiesen Patientinnen mit AN eine verstärkte zentralnervöse Verarbeitung des Herzschlags auf. Beide Essstörungsgruppen erlebten die Herzschlagwahrnehmung als aversiv. Explorative Korrelationsanalysen legten einen Zusammenhang von verstärkter und aversiver interozeptiver Verarbeitung mit Ängstlichkeit nahe. Essgestörtes Verhalten könnte der Unterdrückung aversiver Körperempfindungen und Emotionen dienen. Eine multidimensionale Betrachtung von Interozeption ist unerlässlich für die Entwicklung von ätiologischen Modellen und Behandlungsansätzen.3. Good health and well-bein

Reappraisal facilitates extinction in healthy and socially anxious individuals

a b s t r a c t Background and objectives: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) combines cognitive restructuring with exposure to feared stimuli in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Due to the complexities of cognition eemotion interactions during ongoing CBT, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, which hinders treatment optimization. Methods: We created a laboratory analogue by combining reappraisal, a key ingredient of cognitive restructuring, with Pavlovian conditioning, a key ingredient in behavioral treatments. The novel differential Pavlovian acquisition and extinction task featured social stimuli as conditioned and unconditioned stimuli under unregulated and reappraisal instructions. Results: Findings indicated that reappraising the conditioned stimuli attenuated acquisition (Study 1) and facilitated extinction (Study 2) of conditioned negative valence. In Study 3, highly socially anxious individuals showed deficient extinction learning relative to low socially anxious individuals but compensated for this by using reappraisal. Limitations: Diagnostic status of participants was not assessed in structured clinical interviews. Conclusions: Reappraisal of feared stimuli could be useful in prevention and treatment of social anxiety

Testing the cognitive-behavioural maintenance models across DSM-5 bulimic-type eating disorder diagnostic groups: A multi-centre study

The original cognitive-behavioural (CB) model of bulimia nervosa, which provided the basis for the widely used CB therapy, proposed that specific dysfunctional cognitions and behaviours maintain the disorder. However, amongst treatment completers, only 40–50 % have a full and lasting response. The enhanced CB model (CB-E), upon which the enhanced version of the CB treatment was based, extended the original approach by including four additional maintenance factors. This study evaluated and compared both CB models in a large clinical treatment seeking sample (N = 679), applying both DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria for bulimic-type eating disorders. Application of the DSM-5 criteria reduced the number of cases of DSM-IV bulimic-type eating disorders not otherwise specified to 29.6 %. Structural equation modelling analysis indicated that (a) although both models provided a good fit to the data, the CB-E model accounted for a greater proportion of variance in eating-disordered behaviours than the original one, (b) interpersonal problems, clinical perfectionism and low self-esteem were indirectly associated with dietary restraint through over-evaluation of shape and weight, (c) interpersonal problems and mood intolerance were directly linked to binge eating, whereas restraint only indirectly affected binge eating through mood intolerance, suggesting that factors other than restraint may play a more critical role in the maintenance of binge eating. In terms of strength of the associations, differences across DSM-5 bulimic-type eating disorder diagnostic groups were not observed. The results are discussed with reference to theory and research, including neurobiological findings and recent hypotheses

The impact of intolerance of uncertainty and cognitive behavioural instructions on safety learning

Background Difficulty updating threat associations to safe associations has been observed in individuals who score high in self-reported Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU). Here we sought to determine whether an instruction based on fundamental principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy could promote safety learning in individuals with higher levels of IU, whilst controlling for self-reported trait anxiety (STICSA). Methods We measured skin conductance response, pupil dilation and expectancy ratings during an associative threat learning task in which participants either received a cognitive behavioural instruction or no instruction prior to threat extinction (n = 92). Results Analyses revealed that both self-reported IU and STICSA similarly predicted differences in skin conductance response. Only individuals with lower IU/STICSA in the cognitive behavioural instruction condition displayed successful safety learning via skin conductance response. Conclusions These initial results provide some insight into how simple cognitive behavioural instructions combined with exposure are applied differently in individuals with varying levels of self-reported anxiety. The results further our understanding of the role of basic cognitive behavioural principles and self-reported anxiety in safety learning

Prey and Non-prey Arthropods Sharing a Host Plant: Effects on Induced Volatile Emission and Predator Attraction

It is well established that plants infested with a single herbivore species can attract specific natural enemies through the emission of herbivore-induced volatiles. However, it is less clear what happens when plants are simultaneously attacked by more than one species. We analyzed volatile emissions of lima bean and cucumber plants upon multi-species herbivory by spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) and caterpillars (Spodoptera exigua) in comparison to single-species herbivory. Upon herbivory by single or multiple species, lima bean and cucumber plants emitted volatile blends that comprised mostly the same compounds. To detect additive, synergistic, or antagonistic effects, we compared the multi-species herbivory volatile blend with the sum of the volatile blends induced by each of the herbivore species feeding alone. In lima bean, the majority of compounds were more strongly induced by multi-species herbivory than expected based on the sum of volatile emissions by each of the herbivores separately, potentially caused by synergistic effects. In contrast, in cucumber, two compounds were suppressed by multi-species herbivory, suggesting the potential for antagonistic effects. We also studied the behavioral responses of the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis, a specialized natural enemy of spider mites. Olfactometer experiments showed that P. persimilis preferred volatiles induced by multi-species herbivory to volatiles induced by S. exigua alone or by prey mites alone. We conclude that both lima bean and cucumber plants effectively attract predatory mites upon multi-species herbivory, but the underlying mechanisms appear different between these species