Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 October 2014
The effect of short-term food deprivation on the reinforcing value of coffee was examined, utilising behavioural choice methodology. Four women with bulimia nervosa and six healthy controls underwent one food-deprivation day (19 hours) and one nondeprivation day. Subjects made significantly more attempts to earn coffee, earned more points toward coffee, and drank more grams of coffee when food deprived than when nondeprived. The effect was observed in both bulimic and control women. There was a significant diagnosis-by-deprivation interaction with reference to grams of coffee consumed, with bulimic women consuming over twice as much coffee when deprived than nondeprived. The results are discussed with reference to the role of food deprivation in the pathogenesis of substance abuse.