title: Alleged Approach-Avoidance Conflict for Food Stimuli in Binge Eating Disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Food stimuli are omnipresent and naturally primary reinforcing stimuli. One explanation for the intake of high amounts of food in binge eating disorder (BED) is a deviant valuation process. Valuation of food stimuli is supposed to influence approach or avoidance behaviour towards food. Focusing on self-reported and indirect (facial electromyography) valuation process, motivational aspects in the processing of food stimuli were investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared an overweight sample with BED (BED+) with an overweight sample without BED (BED-) and with normal weight controls (NWC) regarding their self-reported and indirect (via facial electromyography) valuation of food versus non-food stimuli.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regarding the self-reported valuation, the BED+ sample showed a significantly stronger food-bias compared to the BED- sample, as food stimuli were rated as significantly more positive than the non-food stimuli in the BED+ sample. This self-reported valuation pattern could not be displayed in the indirect valuation. Food stimuli evoked negative indirect valuation in all groups. The BED+ sample showed the plainest approach-avoidance conflict marked by a diverging self-reported (positive) and indirect (negative) valuation of food stimuli.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BED+ showed a deviant self-reported valuation of food as compared to BED-. The valuation process of the BED+ sample seems to be characterized by a motivational ambivalence. This ambivalence should be subject of further studies and may be of potential use for therapeutic interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Internal Medicine VI, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Elisabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Leehr
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Internal Medicine VI, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Kathrin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schag
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Internal Medicine VI, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Amelie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brinkmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Ann-Christine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Ehlis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.|LEAD Graduate School, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Fallgatter
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Internal Medicine VI, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zipfel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Internal Medicine VI, Tuebingen, Germany.|Department of Medicine and Psychosomatics, Centre for Psychosocial Medicine, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Katrin E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Giel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.|LEAD Graduate School, University of Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dresler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001362:Avoidance Learning; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*