Interactions between emotions and eating behaviors: Main issues, neuroimaging contributions, and innovative preventive or corrective strategies

• Published in: Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders Vol. 23; no. 4; pp. 807 - 831
• Main Authors: Godet, Ambre, Fortier, Alexandra, Bannier, Elise, Coquery, Nicolas, Val-Laillet, David
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.08.2022; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; Springer Verlag
• Subjects: Behavior; Brain research; Cognitive ability; Cognitive science; Diabetes; Diagnostic imaging; Eating behavior; Eating disorders; Emotions; Endocrinology; Feedback; Food and Nutrition; Food habits; Food intake; Food processing; Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; Internal Medicine; Life Sciences; Medical imaging; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic disorders; Neuroimaging; Neuromodulation; Neuroscience; Physiological aspects; Reinforcement; Neuroimaging; Emotional eating; Emotion regulation; Therapeutic intervention strategies; Gut-brain axis; Stress
• ISSN: 1389-9155; 1573-2606
• DOI: 10.1007/s11154-021-09700-x

Emotional eating is commonly defined as the tendency to (over)eat in response to emotion. Insofar as it involves the (over)consumption of high-calorie palatable foods, emotional eating is a maladaptive behavior that can lead to eating disorders, and ultimately to metabolic disorders and obesity. Emotional eating is associated with eating disorder subtypes and with abnormalities in emotion processing at a behavioral level. However, not enough is known about the neural pathways involved in both emotion processing and food intake. In this review, we provide an overview of recent neuroimaging studies, highlighting the brain correlates between emotions and eating behavior that may be involved in emotional eating. Interaction between neural and neuro-endocrine pathways (HPA axis) may be involved. In addition to behavioral interventions, there is a need for a holistic approach encompassing both neural and physiological levels to prevent emotional eating. Based on recent imaging, this review indicates that more attention should be paid to prefrontal areas, the insular and orbitofrontal cortices, and reward pathways, in addition to regions that play a major role in both the cognitive control of emotions and eating behavior. Identifying these brain regions could allow for neuromodulation interventions, including neurofeedback training, which deserves further investigation.