title: Acoustic startle reactivity while processing reward-related food cues during food deprivation: evidence from women in different menstrual cycle phases and men.
abstract: Previous research has shown that food deprivation enhances the acoustic startle reflex when it is elicited during presentation of visual food cues. Frustrative nonreward may explain this effect, since visual food cues are also rated to be more appetitive and arousing during food deprivation. However, the impact of menstrual cycle and sex on this effect remains unclear, and it is also not known whether this effect is influenced by hunger and motivation to eat. According to a within-study design, 20 healthy women in different menstrual cycle phases and 14 healthy men participated twice, in normal and food-deprived conditions. After 18  h of food deprivation, acoustic startle was attenuated by appetitive nonfood foreground pictures, but enhanced by presentation of food pictures. No differences between menstrual cycle phases and sexes appeared. The effect correlated with hunger changes, suggesting that motivational factors play a role.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychobiology, Division of Clinical Psychophysiology, University of Trier, Trier, Germany.
authors.forename: Diana S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Ferreira de Sá
authors.forename: Debora E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Plein
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schulz
authors.forename: Melly S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Oitzl
authors.forename: Terry D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
authors.forename: Hartmut
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schächinger
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D005508:Food Deprivation / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000502:physiology*; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology*; D012201:Reward; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Food deprivation; Food pictures; Menstrual cycle; Sex; Startle modulation