Table 8.

Attentional biases as measured by electroencephalography.

Study	Sample	Groups	Paradigm	Findings
Blechert et al. (2011)	54 adults from Germany 100% Female M_age = 26.2 y M_BMI = 21.5 kg/m²	BN (n = 22; Age = 26.1±7.5 y; BMI = 22.6±3.2 kg/m²) HC (n = 32; Age = 26.2±5.0 y; BMI = 20.7±2.4 kg/m²)	Stimuli High calorie food images (e.g. pizza) Matched low calorie food images (e.g. fruit) Nonfood pleasant images (e.g. baby animals) Nonfood neutral images (e.g. tools) Nonfood unpleasant images (e.g. attacking animals) Stimulus duration: 3 images/second ERPs measured: EPN (220–310 ms) Instructions: Watch images during rapid serial visual presentation task, with images presented from each category in a pseudorandom order.	AB for food (vs. neutral) images Significant group by category interaction^‡ BN: high-calorie food = low-calorie food > neutral^‡ HC: high-calorie food > low-calorie food = neutral^‡ AB for pleasant/unpleasant (vs. neutral) images NS effect or interaction of group^‡
Kuhnpast et al. (2012)	26 adults from Germany 100% Female M_age = 25 y M_BMI = 21.7 kg/m²	BN (n = 13; Age = 24.6±7.1 y; BMI = 21.7±3.7 kg/m²) HC (n =13; Age = 25.4±3.2 y; BMI = 21.6±2.0 kg/m²)	Stimuli Happy male and female face images Fearful male and female face images Angry male and female face images Neutral male and female face images Stimulus duration: 1500 ms ERPs measured: N170 (120–180 ms); N2 (190–260 ms); P3 (270–500 ms) Instructions: Attend to stimuli very closely.	AB for angry face images (vs. low level baseline) N170, temporal/occipital region: BN < HC^‡ Overall AB N170, temporal/occipital region: NS group differences for emotions other than angry faces^‡ N2, anterior and medial regions: NS group differences^‡ P3, anterior, medial and posterior areas: BN > HC for all face types^‡
Mai et al. (2015)	40 adults from Germany 100% Female M_age = 24.6 y M_BMI = 21.3 kg/m²	BN (n = 20; Age = 24.6±7.5 y; BMI = 20.7±3.4 kg/m²) HC (n = 20; Age = 24.6±3.3 y; BMI = 21.8±2.6 kg/m²)	Stimuli Whole-body photographs of healthy weight women with omitted head Whole-body photographs of underweight women with omitted head Whole-body photographs of overweight women with omitted head Stimulus duration: 4000 ms ERPs measured: N170 (150–220 ms); P2 (180–270 ms); N2 (250–350 ms); P3 (350–450 ms); PSW (500–900 ms) Instructions: Attentively watch the pictures and avoid exploratory eye movements and eye blinks.	AB for overweight (vs. healthy weight) body stimuli P2: Only among BN, significantly higher response to overweight body stimuli^‡ AB for overweight (vs. underweight) body stimuli P3: Only among HC, significantly higher response to overweight body stimuli^‡ AB for underweight (vs. healthy weight) body stimuli N2: Only among HC, significantly more negative response to underweight body stimuli^‡ AB for underweight (vs. overweight) body stimuli N2: Only among HC, significantly more negative response to underweight body stimuli^‡ Overall AB N170, PSW: NS group differences^‡ P3 amplitudes for overweight and healthy weight body stimuli: BN < HC^‡ P3 amplitudes for underweight body stimuli: BN = HC^‡
Sarlo et al. (2013)	33 adults from Austria 100% Female M_age = 22.5 y M_BMI = 21.4 kg/m²	No groups; all participants completed EDI	Stimuli High calorie food images (e.g. chocolate) Neutral nonfood images (e.g. shapes) Stimulus duration: 4000 ms ERPs measured: P300 (280–400 ms); LPP1 (500–1000 ms) and LPP2 (1000–1500 ms) Instructions: View each picture, understand its content, and allow yourself to experience any emotional or appetitive response to the image. Rate current appetite and arousal.	AB for food images (vs. low level baseline) When passively viewing pictures, NS associations between self-reported binge eating and ERP amplitudes^‡
Svaldi et al. (2010)	44 adults from Germany 100% Female M_age = 39.7 y M_BMI = 33.5 kg/m²	BED (n = 22; Age = 41.9±13.9 y; BMI = 36.5±6.9 kg/m²) HC (n = 22; Age = 37.5±13.6 y; BMI = 30.5±3.9 kg/m²)	Stimuli High calorie food images (e.g. cake) Matched low calorie food images (e.g. vegetables) Stimulus duration: 6000 ms ERPs measured: LPP (500–800 ms); PSW (1000–6000 ms) Instructions: Passively watch images (viewing section) and then watch images that you will have to taste later (availability section).	AB for high (vs. low) calorie food cues BED > HC for centro-parietal LPP (g = 0.81) and PSW (g = 0.82) Overall AB NS associations between ERPs and hunger, craving, forbiddance^‡
Wolz et al. (2017)	39 adults from Spain 100% female M_age = 32.4 y M_BMI = 26.5 kg/m²	BE (n = 19; Age = 35.0±9.6 y; BMI = 31.2±10.5 kg/m²) HC (n = 20; Age = 30.0±9.0 y; BMI = 22.0±2.8 kg/m²)	Stimuli Images of chocolate products Images of neutral office items Stimulus duration: 1200 ms ERPs measured: N2 (180–350 ms); LPP (300–1000 ms) Instructions: No information provided in manuscript.	AB for chocolate (vs. neutral) cues NS differences for N2 peak amplitude^‡ NS differences for LPP peak amplitudes^‡

Note: Studies are organized alphabetically. Clinical diagnoses are based on DSM criteria (e.g. for BN) unless noted otherwise.

^†

No further demographics available.

^‡

Effect sizes not available.

Abbreviations: M = mean; NS = non-significant; AB = attentional bias; BED = binge-eating disorder; BN = bulimia nervosa; HC = healthy control; BMI = body mass index; BE = binge eating; EDI = Eating Disorder Inventory; ERP = event-related potential; EPN = early posterior negativity (negative deflection at 200–300 ms); LPP = late positive potential (positive deflection that lasts up to 6000 ms); LPP1 = late positive potential at 500–1000 ms; LPP2 = late positive potential at 1000–1500 ms; N2 = negative deflection at 190–260 ms); N170 = ERP associated with processing of facial features (negative deflection at 140–220 ms); P2 = positive deflection at 180–200 ms); P3 = positive deflection at 300 ms; P300 = positive deflection at 300–500 ms) PSW = positive slow wave (positive deflection at 1000 – 6000 ms)