Calorie-dependent differential habituation to repeated food cues assessed via EEG functional connectivity

Understanding how the brain responds and adapts to repeated exposure to food-related stimuli is critical for uncovering the neural mechanisms underlying attentional biases and eating behaviour. This study investigates within-session habituation to repeated high-calorie, low-calorie, and non-food visual stimuli using electroencephalography (EEG) based functional connectivity analysis. Connectivity was assessed using the Weighted Phase Lag Index (WPLI) across different frequency bands, a measure sensitive to phase synchrony between spatially distinct brain regions while minimising artefacts from volume conduction. Results revealed significant habituation effects for non-food (hammer) stimuli were observed in the theta band (4– 8 Hz), indicated by a decline in frontoparietal connectivity across repeated trials. In contrast, low-calorie (apple) and high-calorie (pizza) stimuli exhibited sustained connectivity, suggesting persistent neural engagement. Linear trend analysis further confirmed that WPLI values decreased most rapidly for non-food stimuli, followed by low-calorie foods, with minimal decline observed for high-calorie stimuli. These findings support the hypothesis that energy-dense food cues elicit prolonged attentional responses, potentially impeding habituation mechanisms. This study highlights the utility of WPLI as a reliable metric for detecting changes in neural synchrony and offers insights into the role of caloric content in modulating attentional regulation. The results have implications for developing targeted neurocognitive interventions aimed at reducing attentional biases toward high-calorie foods, particularly among individuals at risk for overeating or obesity.