Body-selective ERP component N190 is modulated by observers’ body image
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1
University of Essex, United Kingdom
The observation of human bodies evokes an enhanced scalp negativity peaking at 190 ms (e.g. Thierry et al. 2005). This body-selective N190 component is broadly similar to the face-selective N170, and may be linked to the representation of abstract properties of the human form. The present study was designed to test (a) whether women’s body image affects the N190 evoked by viewing female torsos, and (b) whether such effects may be modulated by the apparent thinness of the viewed torsos. 95 female participants completed four questionnaires assembled to probe body image by probing body (dis)satisfaction, body disparagement, ideal body stereotypes, and perceived pressure to be thin. 28 participated in the EEG study, selected by their overall body image score falling into one of four groups defined by the statistics of the total sample. They were shown pictures of female torsos, which were expanded or contracted by 10% to manipulate apparent thinness, or scrambled versions of the same pictures, while performing an unrelated visual oddball-detection task. ERPs elicited by body pictures showed an enhanced negativity in the 150-220 ms range over parietal-occipital electrodes (N190). This enhancement systematically varied as a function of body image score: Women with a healthier body image had a larger N190 effect, suggesting that the perceptual system may distinguish bodies from other stimuli better in these women. Apparent thinness did not affect the N190 effect, or its interaction with body image score, suggesting that body image modulates body-selective processing in a general rather than body size specific manner. These findings suggest a close link between the perceptual analysis of human bodies and observers’ body image at remarkably early stages of cortical processing.
Keywords:
Attention,
ERP
Conference:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI), Palma, Mallorca, Spain, 25 Sep - 29 Sep, 2011.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Poster Sessions: Neurophysiology of Cognition and Attention
Citation:
Gillmeister
H,
Morgan
K and
Moulton
S
(2011). Body-selective ERP component N190 is modulated by observers’ body image.
Conference Abstract:
XI International Conference on Cognitive Neuroscience (ICON XI).
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2011.207.00451
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Received:
25 Nov 2011;
Published Online:
28 Nov 2011.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Helge Gillmeister, University of Essex, Essex, United Kingdom, helge@essex.ac.uk