Cerebellar stimulation influences performance to a food-related Go/NoGo task

The impulse for food is a well-rooted adaptive drive that implies not only the energetic sustenance of the organism but also hedonic-rewarding mechanisms. Inhibitory control is closely associated with decision-making which might moderate/mediate food choices/consumption. Growing evidence supports the involvement of the cerebellum in cognitive inhibitory control, and its role in eating and somato-visceral integration. The current research was aimed at directly investigating the physiological role of the cerebellum in food-related inhibitory control. In a within-subject design, the cerebellar activity of 23 healthy women was modulated by anodal, cathodal, and sham transcranial cerebellar Direct Current Stimulation (tcDCS) combined with the visual presentation of food images. Immediately after receiving combined tcDCS/visual stimulation, participants performed a food-related Go/NoGo task requiring them to react to or withhold a response to high-, low-calorie food and non-food images. All participants completed questionnaires regarding impulsivity traits (by Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11) and weight concern (by Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and Eating Attitude Test). The results showed an increased omission rate following cathodal tcDCS, a positive correlation between omissions to food stimuli and psychological assessment of weight concern, and faster and more accurate responses to high-calorie food images. These findings support the cerebellar role in food-related inhibitory control and show that individual concerns about weight can affect Go/NoGo performance with food stimuli. Moreover, they underpin the existence of an implicit cognitive advantage for high-calorie (appetizing) food.