title: Attentional bias to food-related visual cues: is there a role in obesity?
abstract: The incentive sensitisation model of obesity suggests that modification of the dopaminergic associated reward systems in the brain may result in increased awareness of food-related visual cues present in the current food environment. Having a heightened awareness of these visual food cues may impact on food choices and eating behaviours with those being most aware of or demonstrating greater attention to food-related stimuli potentially being at greater risk of overeating and subsequent weight gain. To date, research related to attentional responses to visual food cues has been both limited and conflicting. Such inconsistent findings may in part be explained by the use of different methodological approaches to measure attentional bias and the impact of other factors such as hunger levels, energy density of visual food cues and individual eating style traits that may influence visual attention to food-related cues outside of weight status alone. This review examines the various methodologies employed to measure attentional bias with a particular focus on the role that attentional processing of food-related visual cues may have in obesity. Based on the findings of this review, it appears that it may be too early to clarify the role visual attention to food-related cues may have in obesity. Results however highlight the importance of considering the most appropriate methodology to use when measuring attentional bias and the characteristics of the study populations targeted while interpreting results to date and in designing future studies.
authors.affiliation: Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health,University of Ulster,Coleraine BT52 1SA,UK.
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Doolan
authors.affiliation: Sport and Exercise Science Research Institute, University of Ulster,Jordanstown BT37 OQB,UK.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Breslin
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast,Belfast BT7 1NN,UK.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.affiliation: Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health,University of Ulster,Coleraine BT52 1SA,UK.
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gallagher
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003463:Cues; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger / Q000502:physiology; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000523:psychology; D009042:Motivation; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012201:Reward
keywords: Eye tracking; Incentive sensitisation; Stroop; Visual probe; Weight status