nutrients Article The Hunger Games: Homeostatic State-Dependent Fluctuations in Disinhibition Measured with a Novel Gamified Test Battery Katharina Voigt 1,† , Emily Giddens 1,†, Romana Stark 2, Emma Frisch 1, Neda Moskovsky 1, Naomi Kakoschke 1, Julie C. Stout 1 , Mark A. Bellgrove 1, Zane B. Andrews 2 and Antonio Verdejo-Garcia 1,* 1 Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia;
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[email protected] (M.A.B.) 2 Department of Physiology and Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia;
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[email protected] (Z.B.A.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +61-3-9905-5374 † These authors contributed equally to this work. Abstract: Food homeostatic states (hunger and satiety) influence the cognitive systems regulating impulsive responses, but the direction and specific mechanisms involved in this effect remain elusive. We examined how fasting, and satiety, affect cognitive mechanisms underpinning disinhibition using a novel framework and a gamified test-battery. Thirty-four participants completed the test-battery measuring three cognitive facets of disinhibition: attentional control, information gathering and monitoring of feedback, across two experimental sessions: one after overnight fasting and another Citation: Voigt, K.; Giddens, E.; after a standardised meal. Homeostatic state was assessed using subjective self-reports and biological Stark, R.; Frisch, E.; Moskovsky, N.; markers (i.e., blood-derived liver-expressed antimicrobial protein 2 (LEAP-2), insulin and leptin).