Attachment refers to a psychobiological principle that is deeply rooted in evolutionary development; it is thought to contribute a major advantage in the survival of the social group. Within individual development it indicates a primary motivational system that guides the initial transactions between mother and baby and furthermore mediates affective attunement and regulation. Psychosocial learning, in close interaction with genetics and epigenetics, also develops a decisive foundation for further brain development of the infant. Finally, the attachment pattern established forms an enduring, relational context for later affective, cognitive, and social development of the child. As an unconsciously active matrix for future personal relationships it has a particular impact on the comprehensive psychological functions of empathy and mentalization. Early adverse and traumatic experiences or major emotional neglect may lead to different levels of security versus insecurity or disorientation-disorganization of the attachment pattern that corresponds to characteristic features of neurobiological regulation.

Responsiveness to food cues, especially those associated with high‐calorie nutrients may be a factor underlying obesity. An increased motivational potency of foods appears to be mediated in part by the hippocampus. To clarify this, we investigated by means of 3‐T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) the activation of the hippocampus and associated brain structures in response to pictures of high‐calorie and low‐calorie foods in 12 obese and 12 normal‐weight adolescents. To investigate the relationship between neuronal activation patterns (e.g., hippocampus) to the caloric content of food images and plasma insulin levels, we performed a multiple regression analysis. Interestingly, a significant positive correlation between fasting plasma levels of insulin, waist circumference, and right hippocampal activation was seen after stimulation with high‐caloric food images. BMI values did not correlate significantly with the hippocampal activation. On the other hand, we found a significant negative correlation in response to high‐caloric food images and the plasma levels of insulin in the medial right gyrus frontalis superior and in the left thalamus. In summary, our data show that insulin is importantly involved in the central regulation of food intake. The significant positive relationship between hippocampal activation after stimulation with high‐caloric food images, plasma insulin levels, and waist circumference suggests a permissive role of insulin signaling pathways in the hippocampal control of eating behavior. Interestingly, only the waist circumference, as a main indicator of abdominal obesity, correlated significantly with the hippocampal activation patterns, and not the BMI.

Religiosity and spirituality have been found to be negatively associated with a range of addictions. It has been suggested that religious/spiritual well-being might play an important role in the development, course, and recovery from addictive disorders. A sample of addiction in-patients (N = 389) was assessed using the Multidimensional Inventory for Religious/Spiritual Well-Being (MI-RSWB) and compared with a matched group of nonaddicted community controls (N = 389). RSWB was found to be substantially lower in people with substance use disorders compared to the normal sample. Discriminate functional analysis showed that Experiences of Sense and Meaning, General Religiosity, and Forgiveness were the dimensions of RSWB that strongly distinguished the groups. Within the group of people with substance use disorders, RSWB was strongly positively associated with the personality dimensions of Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, and Openness as well as Sense of Coherence and positive Coping styles. The study suggests that therapeutic intervention programs focusing on building a positive and meaningful personal framework, akin to that of a religious/spiritual orientation, may contribute to positive outcomes in addiction treatment.