Neural correlates of changing food choices while bypassing values
Anoushiravan Zahedi,
Sergio Oroz Artigas,
Nora Swaboda,
Corinde E. Wiers,
Kai Görgen,
Soyoung Q. Park
Affiliations
Anoushiravan Zahedi
Department of Decision Neuroscience & Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Nuthetal, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, Berlin, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Muenster (Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universitaet Muenster); Corresponding authors at: Anoushiravan Zahedi & Soyoung Q. Park, Department of Decision Neuroscience & Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Nuthetal, Germany.
Sergio Oroz Artigas
Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
Nora Swaboda
Max-Planck-Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany
Corinde E. Wiers
Department of Psychiatry and Radiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Kai Görgen
Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience, Berlin, Germany; Science of Intelligence, Research Cluster of Excellence, Berlin, Germany
Soyoung Q. Park
Department of Decision Neuroscience & Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Nuthetal, Germany; Neuroscience Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Neuroscience Research Center, Berlin, Germany; Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany; Corresponding authors at: Anoushiravan Zahedi & Soyoung Q. Park, Department of Decision Neuroscience & Nutrition, German Institute of Human Nutrition (DIfE), Nuthetal, Germany.
Current theories suggest that altering choices requires value modification. To investigate this, normal-weight female participants’ food choices and values were tested before and after an approach-avoidance training (AAT), while neural activity was recorded during the choice task using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). During AAT, participants consistently approached low- while avoiding high-calorie food cues. AAT facilitated low-calorie food choices, leaving food values unchanged. Instead, we observed a shift in indifference points, indicating the decreased contribution of food values in food choices. Training-induced choice shifts were associated with increased activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC). In contrast, the medial PFC activity was not changed. Additionally, PCC gray matter density predicted individual differences in training-induced functional changes, suggesting anatomic predispositions to training impact. Our findings demonstrate neural mechanisms underlying choice modulation independent of valuation-related processes, which has substantial theoretical significance for decision-making frameworks and translational implications for health-related decisions resilient to value shifts.
