Dr. Klatzkin’s research program broadly investigates stress-related psychopathology in women. Specifically, the current goal of the Behavioral Neuroscience Research Lab is to understand the psychological and physiological factors contributing to stress-induced eating.
Stress is associated with a myriad of negative physical and mental health consequences, including obesity and eating disorders. Understanding the psychophysiological mechanisms driving the stress-eating relationship is critical in order to strengthen prevention and treatment efforts for at-risk individuals; yet the mechanisms by which stress impacts eating are not fully understood.
The hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis is a central component in the regulation stress-induced eating, releasing cortisol in response to stress and, consequently, increasing food consumption. However, cortisol has also been associated with eating less following stress and, although the majority of women tend to be stress over-eaters, many decrease their food intake following stress. These conflicting findings indicate that various individual difference factors interact with the acute stress response to impact food consumption. The Behavioral Neuroscience Research Lab is dedicated to understanding how the psychophysiological mechanisms underlying stress-induced eating depend on various individual differences such as obesity, binge eating, cortisol stress reactivity, and chronic stress.
Examples of publications from this research include the following (asterisks indicate student authors):
Hamm, J.D., Klatzkin, R.R., Herzog, M., Tamura, S., Brunstrom, J.M., Kissileff, H.R. (2021). Recalled and momentary virtual portions created of snacks predict actual intake under laboratory stress condition. Physiology & Behavior, 113479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113479
Klatzkin, R.R., Nolan, L.J., Chaudhry, R., Geliebter, A., Kissileff, H.R. (2021). Measures of emotional influences on eating and weight control. In Meiselman, H.L. (Ed.) Emotion Measurement, 2nd edition. Cambridge, USA: Woodhead.
Klatzkin, R.R., *Dasani, R., *Warren, M., *Cattaneo, C., *Nadel, T., *Nikodem, C., Kissileff, H. (2019). Negative affect is associated with increased stress-eating for women with high perceived life stress. Physiology & Behavior, in press.
Klatzkin, R.R., *Baldassaro, A., *Rashid, S. (2018). Physiological responses to acute stress and the drive to eat: The impact of perceived life stress. Appetite. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2018.11.019
Klatzkin, R.R., *Baldassaro, A., *Hayden, E. (2018). The impact of chronic stress on the predictors of acute stress-induced eating in women. Appetite. doi:10.1016/j.appet.2018.01.007
Klatzkin, R.R., *Gaffney, S., *Cyrus, K., *Bigus, E., Brownley, K.A. (2017). Stress-induced eating in women with binge eating disorder and obesity. Biological Psychology, 131:96-106. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2016.11.002.
Klatzkin, R.R., *Gaffney, S., *Cyrus, K., *Bigus, E., Brownley, K.A. (2015). Binge eating disorder and obesity: Preliminary evidence for distinct cardiovascular and psychological phenotypes. Physiology & Behavior, 142: 20-27. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2015.01.018.
Learn more about Dr. Klatzkin (CV)
