title: Real-time assessment of heart rate variability and loss of control eating in adolescent girls: A pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studying physiologic underpinnings of loss-of-control (LOC) eating may inform its etiology and contribute to intervention efforts. We therefore examined temporal relationships between autonomic indices [heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV)] and LOC-eating in the natural environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  For two days, adolescents (n = 17, 14.77 ± 1.55 years, BMI-Z 2.17 ± 0.48) with LOC-eating reported on LOC using an electronic device while HR and HRV were assessed continuously using Holter monitoring.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher HR and lower HRV in the 30-minutes before eating were significantly associated with LOC-eating overall (p's < 0.001) and at the within-participants level (p's < 0.001), but not at the between-participants level (p's > 0.44). Examined categorically, HR was significantly higher, and HRV significantly lower, prior to high-LOC compared to low-LOC episodes (p's < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study suggests that LOC-eating may involve physiologic underpinnings. Additional research with larger samples is needed to further investigate this phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, Maryland.|Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, The Alpert Medical School of Brown University/The Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ranzenhofer
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute (NRI), Fargo, North Dakota.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Fargo, North Dakota.
authors.forename: Scott G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Research Institute (NRI), Fargo, North Dakota.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Fargo, North Dakota.
authors.forename: Ross D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Crosby
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, USUHS, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haigney
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Micheline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.affiliation: Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center, The Alpert Medical School of Brown University/The Miriam Hospital, Providence, Rhode Island.
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: McCaffery
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanofsky-Kraff
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D019959:Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: LOC-eating; adolescence; heart rate; heart rate variability