Temporal discounting as a candidate behavioral marker of obesity. (October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bickel, Warren K.; Freitas-Lemos, Roberta; Tomlinson, Devin C.; Craft, William H.; Keith, Diana R.; Athamneh, Liqa N.; Basso, Julia C.; Epstein, Leonard H.
• Is Part Of: Neuroscience and biobehavioral reviews. Volume 129(2021)
• Page Start: 307
• Page End: 329
• Publication Date: 2021-10
• Subjects: Temporal discounting -- Obesity -- Overweight -- Behavioral marker; Psychophysiology -- Periodicals; Human behavior -- Periodicals; Animal behavior -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Behavior -- Periodicals; Ethology -- Periodicals; Neurology -- Periodicals; Psychophysiologie -- Périodiques; Comportement humain -- Périodiques; Animaux -- Mœurs et comportement -- Périodiques; Neurologie -- Périodiques; Animal behavior; Human behavior; Neurology; Psychophysiology; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 573.8
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.035
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0149-7634

Abstract

Highlights: Temporal discounting (TD) candidacy as a behavioral marker for obesity is examined. Several areas show strong evidence of TD's predictive utility as a behavioral marker. TD can identify risk for obesity development/progression and determine diagnosis. TD can predict treatment prognosis/outcomes and measure treatment effectiveness. Abstract: Although obesity is a result of processes operating at multiple levels, most forms result from decision-making behavior. The aim of this review was to examine the candidacy of temporal discounting (TD) (i.e. the reduction in the value of a reinforcer as a function of the delay to its receipt) as a behavioral marker of obesity. For this purpose, we assessed whether TD has the ability to: identify risk for obesity development, diagnose obesity, track obesity progression, predict treatment prognosis/outcomes, and measure treatment effectiveness. Three databases (Pubmed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) were searched using a combination of terms related to TD and obesity. A total of 153 papers were reviewed. Several areas show strong evidence of TD's predictive utility as a behavioral marker of obesity (e.g., distinguishing obese from non obese). However, other areas have limited and/or mixed evidence (e.g., predicting weight change). Given the positive relationship for TD in the majority of domains examined, further consideration for TD as a behavioral marker of obesity is warranted.