Do Food Odors Differently Influence Cerebral Activity Depending on Weight Status? An Electroencephalography Study of Implicit Olfactory Priming Effects on the Processing of Food Pictures

Attentional automatic processes and cerebral activity may differ between individuals with different weight statuses in the presence of food stimuli (e.g. odors, pictures). In present study, we used an implicit olfactory priming paradigm to test influence non-attentively perceived odors on underlying processing pictures, normal-weight, overweight, obese adults. A pear odor a pound cake were as primes, respectively sweet low-energy-density foods high-energy-density foods. Event-related potentials recorded while participants passively watched pictures low foods, under two conditions plus odorless control condition. The amplitude latency several peaks measured (P100, N100, P200, N400). As major result, found that status influences cues outside consciousness, early first detectable P100 peak.