Comparison of the chewing behaviour of patients suffering from obesity and healthy participants under resting and stress conditions

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Katja Petrowski
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology ; General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology ; Clinical Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Term: from 2015 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 276734837

Obesity has a prevalence rate greater than 20 percent in Germany. It increases the rate of many health risks of the persons suffering from it. According to the selfish brain theory, reasons for it are (amongst others) faulty regulation processes of the energy balance in the brain. Main factors of these regulation processes are the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical-axis (HPA axis), the Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) and Cortisol. However, stress induced concentrations of CRF and Cortisol vary depending on the individual. Hence, stress induced CRF and Cortisol increase food intake for some persons, while it is lowered for others. These differences are caused due to individual differences in Cortisol concentrations under stress conditions. It is yet unknown whether higher Cortisol concentrations under stress conditions cause higher rates of food intake and higher chewing frequency. Therefore, eating and chewin behaviour and the Cortisol concentrations under resting and stress conditions shall be investigated in this study. Psychosocial stress will be induced by the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), a psychosocial stress test. To specify eating and chewing behaviour, a new, innovative recording device is uses, the chewing frequency sensor. Using it, we will be able to investigate if stress induced Cortisol concentrations could change the eating behaviour and the chewing frequency. These information might clarify ethiologic processes and be a basis for the prevention of health risks in patients suffering from eating disorders (e.g. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, obesity).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Co-Investigator: Dr.-Ing. Sebastian Päßler