How are overweight and obesity associated with reinforcement learning deficits? A systematic review

Gibson Weydmann; Patricia Maidana Miguel; Nour Hakim; Laurette Dubé; Patricia Pelufo Silveira; Lisiane Bizarro

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2023.107123

How are overweight and obesity associated with reinforcement learning deficits? A systematic review

Appetite. 2024 Feb 1:193:107123. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107123. Epub 2023 Nov 20.

Authors

Gibson Weydmann¹, Patricia Maidana Miguel², Nour Hakim³, Laurette Dubé⁴, Patricia Pelufo Silveira², Lisiane Bizarro⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), 2600 Ramiro Barcelos, Postal Code 90035-003, Porto Alegre, Brazil; Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 University, Postal Code H3A 2B4, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: gibson.weydmann@ufrgs.br.
² Ludmer Centre for Neuroinformatics and Mental Health, Montreal Neurological Institute, 3801 University, Postal Code H3A 2B4, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 1033 Pine Ave W, Postal Code H3A 1A1, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
³ Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 George Street, Postal Code M1C 1A4, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill Center for the Convergence of Health and Economics, McGill University, 1001 Sherbrooke, Postal Code H3A 1G5, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
⁴ Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill Center for the Convergence of Health and Economics, McGill University, 1001 Sherbrooke, Postal Code H3A 1G5, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
⁵ Department of Psychology, Universidade Federal Do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS), 2600 Ramiro Barcelos, Postal Code 90035-003, Porto Alegre, Brazil.

PMID: 37992896
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.107123

Abstract

Reinforcement learning (RL) refers to the ability to learn stimulus-response or response-outcome associations relevant to the acquisition of behavioral repertoire and adaptation to the environment. Research data from correlational and case-control studies have shown that obesity is associated with impairments in RL. The aim of the present study was to systematically review how obesity and overweight are associated with RL performance. More specifically, the relationship between high body mass index (BMI) and task performance was explored through the analysis of specific RL processes associated with different physiological, computational, and behavioral manifestations. Our systematic analyses indicate that obesity might be associated with impairments in the use of aversive outcomes to change ongoing behavior, as revealed by results involving instrumental negative reinforcement and extinction/reversal learning, but further research needs to be conducted to confirm this association. Hypotheses regarding how obesity might be associated with altered RL were discussed.

Keywords: High BMI; Obesity; Overweight; Reinforcement learning; Systematic review.

Publication types

Systematic Review
Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Case-Control Studies
Humans
Learning* / physiology
Obesity
Overweight*
Reinforcement, Psychology