The instinct to eat: the role of autonomic nervous system in influencing executive response toward food stimuli.

The current society, characterized by a food-abundant environment may contribute to the tendency to overeat and weight gain. Previous research confirms an altered attentional response towards food stimuli which can influence dysregulated eating behavior via executive functions. The Neurovisceral Integration Model, proposing a role of the integration between biological and cognitive systems in the environmental adaptation of the organism. It may indicate a role of the autonomic response (via heart rate variability; HRV) in influencing executive response toward food stimuli. One-hundred and twenty young adults (age range: 18-30 years) participated at the study. The 26 percent of the sample presented overweight condition. All the participants completed modified version of the Stroop task with food stimuli (hypercaloric and hypocaloric). HRV was recorded in resting (5 minutes), reactivity (during the task) and recovery (3 minutes). No differences emerged between overweight and normal weight condition in HRV indices (p> 0.05). However, a mediator role of HRV was reported in the association between executive performances and weight condition, particularly in case of hypercaloric food stimuli. These preliminary results support the evidence of a mediator role of autonomic system in influencing executive response toward food stimuli in general population.