Accuracy of estimating self and other body size among adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa

This study aimed to analyze body size estimates of others by patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and to identify any differences with the perception of their own body size. Adolescent females (age, 13-17 years) were enrolled into AN (n = 30) and control(n = 23) groups. The Subjective Body Dimensions Apparatus (SBDA) was used to evaluate body size estimates for oneself (self-estimation) and others (other-estimation). Participants also completed questionnaires assessing eating disorders and depressive symptoms. The AN and control groups scored significantly higher in self-estimation than in other-estimation. However, the AN group showed higher self-estimation scores than the control group for all the body parts and for the global silhouette (p < .001). Patients with more severe eating disorder symptomatology showed more distorted self-estimation (p < .05). No statistically significant differences were found in the other-estimation scores between the groups (p = .714), indicating that AN and control patients estimate the body sizes of others similarly. Eating disorder symptomatology correlates with self-estimation scores but not with other-estimation scores in adolescents with AN. No correlations existed between clinical symptomatology and other-estimation.

A biomarker and endophenotype for anorexia nervosa?

OBJECTIVE

Recent research has suggested that a type of atypical eye movement, called square wave jerks, together with anxiety, may distinguish individuals with anorexia nervosa from those without anorexia nervosa and may represent a biomarker and endophenotype for the illness. The aim of this study was to identify the presence of this proposed marker in individuals currently with anorexia nervosa relative to healthy controls, and to identify the state independence and heritability of this putative marker by exploring whether it also exists in individuals who are weight-restored from anorexia nervosa and first-degree relatives (i.e. sisters of people with anorexia nervosa).

METHODS

Data from 80 female participants (20/group: current anorexia nervosa, weight-restored from anorexia nervosa, sisters of people with anorexia nervosa and healthy controls) were analysed. Square wave jerk rate was acquired during a fixation task, and anxiety was measured with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory.

RESULTS

Current anorexia nervosa, weight-restored from anorexia nervosa and sisters of people with anorexia nervosa groups made significantly more square wave jerks than healthy controls, but did not differ from one another. Square wave jerk rate and anxiety were found to discriminate groups with exceptionally high accuracy (current anorexia nervosa vs healthy control = 92.5%; weight-restored from anorexia nervosa vs healthy control = 77.5%; sisters of people with anorexia nervosa vs healthy control = 77.5%; p < .001).

CONCLUSION

The combination of square wave jerk rate and anxiety was found to be a promising two-element marker for anorexia nervosa, and has the potential to be used as a biomarker or endophenotype to identify people at risk of anorexia nervosa and inform future treatments.

Exploring neuropsychological and socio-emotional task performance in anorexia nervosa: A cluster analytic approach

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to characterise heterogeneity in neuropsychological and socio-emotional task performance in young women with anorexia nervosa (AN) using hierarchical cluster analysis. Further, we aimed to test whether cognitive profiles were associated with differences in clinical variables (body mass index, illness duration and age at diagnosis), psychopathology (eating disorder, autistic symptoms, anxiety and depression) and functional impairment.

METHOD

Set-shifting, central coherence and theory of mind abilities were measured in 118 women with acute or remitted AN. A hierarchical cluster analysis using Ward's method with a Euclidean distance measure was performed with the neuropsychological and socio-emotional variables. Differences between clusters were assessed using ANOVAs.

RESULTS

Four clusters emerged, with significant differences in neuropsychological and socio-emotional task performance. There were no significant differences between clusters in clinical variables, psychopathology or functional impairment, however, these analyses lacked power due to small cluster sizes.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results demonstrate significant heterogeneity in cognitive profiles in AN, supporting a more personalised approach to treatment. Studies in larger samples are required to establish whether these variables map onto clinically significant differences in aetiology, clinical presentation, comorbidity patterns and/or treatment responses.

Accuracy of Body Size Estimation in Youth with Cystic Fibrosis and Association with Health-Related Quality of Life

Accuracy of body size estimation may impact motivation to adhere to treatment recommendations and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in youth with cystic fibrosis (CF), but this has not yet been investigated. Thus, the goal of the current study was to examine accuracy of body size estimation in youth with CF, and associations with HRQOL, lung functioning, and dietary intake. Fifty-four youth diagnosed with CF (M = 13.61 years) completed the Figure Rating Scale, the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised, and a 24-h diet recall interview. Cohen's Weighted Kappa Coefficient evaluated agreement between body size estimation and BMI percentile. Binary logistic regression analyses examined associations between body size accuracy and HRQOL, lung functioning, and dietary intake. A less than adequate agreement was found between youth body size estimation and BMI percentile. Most participants overestimated body size (69.8%). Body Image HRQOL, but neither lung functioning nor dietary intake, was significantly associated with body size estimation accuracy. Working with patients to improve perceptions of body size may also improve HRQOL scores and allow for discussion about treatment goals related to body size.

The COVID-19 pandemic: Psychological and behavioral responses to the shutdown of the beauty industry

OBJECTIVE

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia implemented widespread closure of beauty and cosmetic services to control the virus spread. The effect of these restrictions is unknown, given that beauty services are widely used for stress relief or to enhance confidence. The current study explored the relationship between engagement in appearance-focused behaviors and distress regarding beauty service closure. Participants with high and low levels of dysmorphic concern were compared to determine whether COVID-19 restrictions may affect these groups differently.

METHOD

An online survey was completed by 216 participants living in Australia. Questions addressed engagement in appearance-focused behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic and attitudes toward beauty service closure. The Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) was used to group participants by low and high dysmorphic concern.

RESULTS

Appearance-focused behaviors decreased in the low DCQ group (n = 163) during the COVID-19 pandemic, while such behaviors in the high DCQ group (n = 53) remained unchanged. Individuals who were living alone, younger, reported higher dysmorphic concern and greater distress over beauty service closure engaged in more frequent appearance-focused behaviors (R² = .57, p < .001). The high DCQ group reported greater distress over beauty service closure and increased desire to obtain future beauty treatments.

DISCUSSION

While COVID-19 restrictions may have provided a break from societal appearance pressure for those with low dysmorphic concern, appearance-focused behaviors persisted in individuals with high dysmorphic concern. A greater understanding of the long-term impacts on appearance-related distress is needed to determine mental health priorities emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eye movements in anorexia nervosa: State or trait markers?

OBJECTIVE

Differences in saccadic eye movements are widely reported in mental illnesses, and can indirectly inform our understanding of neurobiological and cognitive underpinnings of psychiatric conditions, including anorexia nervosa (AN). Preliminary research has suggested that individuals with AN may show specific eye movement abnormalities; whether these deficits are representative of state or trait effects is, however, unclear. The aim of this study was to identify whether there are demonstrable differences in performance on saccadic eye movement tasks in individuals with current AN (c-AN), those who are weight-restored from AN (wr-AN), biological sisters of individuals with AN (AN-sis), and healthy controls (HC).

METHODS

Eighty participants took part in the study (n = 20/group). A set of saccadic eye movement tasks was administered, including prosaccade, antisaccade, memory-guided saccade, and visual scanpath tasks.

RESULTS

The c-AN group showed an increased rate of inhibitory errors to 10° targets on the memory-guided saccade task.

DISCUSSION

The results are discussed in terms of the potential role of the superior colliculus in AN, and that the findings may reflect a state measure of AN.

Neuromarketing as a strategic tool for predicting how Instagramers have an influence on the personal identity of adolescents and young people in Spain

Instagram is the fastest growing social network and has an audience that shares lifestyles related to their interest in beauty and fashion. However, the exposure of adolescents to images that promote the slender beauty ideal can lead to body dissatisfaction, as they place a lot of importance on the likes and comments they receive regarding the comparison of their appearance with that of other users. The popularity of influencers and their opinion leadership has resulted in the convergence of a given body image with the promotion of products and brands. Through the use of neuromarketing techniques -attention through eye tracking, and emotion using galvanic skin response-, the objective of this research is to determine the cognitive perception that Spanish adolescents and young people have of the stimuli transmitted by influencers on Instagram, surpassing classic content analysis of social networks and offering the innovative technique of registering unconscious reactions of the audience, both toward the body image as well as toward the brands promoted by influencers who are akin to the audience. The results suggest that adolescents place greater attention and emotional intensity on the nude body appeal of influencers compared to young adults, and show only scarce interest in brands.

A systematic and methodological review of attentional biases in eating disorders: Food, body, and perfectionism

OBJECTIVE

The current systematic and methodological review aimed to critically review existing literature utilizing implicit processing, or automatic approach- and/or avoidance-related attentional biases between eating disorder (ED) and nonclinical samples, which (a) highlights how psychophysiological methods advance knowledge of ED implicit bias; (b) explains how findings fit into transdiagnostic versus disorder-specific ED frameworks; and (c) suggests how research can address perfectionism-related ED biases.

METHOD

Three databases were systematically searched to identify studies: PubMed, Scopus, and PsychInfo electronic databases. Peer-reviewed studies of 18- to 39-year-olds with both clinical ED and healthy samples assessing visual attentional biases using pictorial and/or linguistic stimuli related to food, body, and/or perfectionism were included.

RESULTS

Forty-six studies were included. While behavioral results were often similar across ED diagnoses, studies incorporating psychophysiological measures often revealed disease-specific attentional biases. Specifically, women with bulimia nervosa (BN) tend to approach food and other body types, whereas women with anorexia nervosa (AN) tend to avoid food as well as overweight bodies.

CONCLUSIONS

Further integration of psychophysiological and behavioral methods may identify subtle processing variations in ED, which may guide prevention strategies and interventions, and provide important clinical implications. Few implicit bias studies include male participants, investigate binge-eating disorder, or evaluate perfectionism-relevant stimuli, despite the fact that perfectionism is implicated in models of ED.

High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation in anorexia nervosa: A pilot study

OBJECTIVE

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric condition often associated with poor outcomes. Biologically informed treatments for AN, such as brain stimulation, are lacking, in part due to the unclear nature of the neurobiological contributions to the illness. However, recent research has suggested a specific neurobiological target for the treatment of AN, namely stimulation of the inferior parietal lobe (IPL). The aim of this study was to stimulate-noninvasively-the left IPL in individuals with AN using high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS).

METHOD

Twenty participants will be randomized to receive 10 daily sessions of HD-tDCS or sham HD-tDCS (placebo). Assessments will be carried out at baseline and end point, as well as 4- and 12-week follow-ups.

DISCUSSION

This pilot investigation will primarily determine the feasibility and acceptability of this intervention.

Fashion Promotion on Instagram with Eye Tracking: Curvy Girl Influencers Versus Fashion Brands in Spain and Portugal

The rise of Instagram, as the fastest growing social network in Spain and Portugal, and its incorporation into the communication strategies of beauty and fashion brands have posed some risks for younger followers in relation to the development of identity and self-esteem. A physical appearance acceptance movement has also begun, based on interaction with images, on which the social network is also based. The purpose of this research was to determine how attention is paid to fashion promotion and to the awareness of physical appearance acceptance by curvy influencers in comparison with communications by fashion brands on Instagram. The quantitative and qualitative methodology is based on the use of a biometric eye tracking technique applied to a sample of 120 participants from Spain and Portugal, matching the profile of the main users of Instagram: urban university women under 25 years old with an interest in fashion, and a self-perception as a curvy woman. The results point to more attention focused on the imperfections for which curvy influencers are raising awareness than on the fashion they promote when these awareness factors are more visible, as well as more attention focused on the fashion accessories worn by curvy brand models than those worn by the influencers, with specific and significant differences between Spanish and Portuguese audiences.

Dysmorphic concern in anorexia nervosa: Implications for recovery

Body image disturbance ('dysmorphic concern') is a key diagnostic criterion for anorexia nervosa (AN). While dysmorphic concern has been described as a relapse predictor, relatively little is understood about the prevalence in AN, and the consequences upon wellbeing. The present study examined the rates of dysmorphic concern in a sample of treatment-seeking adults with AN (N = 39), and explored the associations with general mental health, disability and eating disorder symptoms. The majority of participants (61.5%) had clinically significant levels of dysmorphic concern. Furthermore, higher dysmorphic concern scores were associated with increased symptoms of anxiety, depression and eating disorder symptomatology. There was also a trend towards associations between dysmorphic concern and age of onset and stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance), although replication is required. These findings suggest that strategies which specifically address body image distortions should be a key feature of treatment for anorexia nervosa to support long-term recovery and wellbeing.

An Overlooked Brain Region in the Aetiology of Anorexia Nervosa: The Importance of Behaviourally Driven Neuroimaging Analysis

The neurobiological contributions to anorexia nervosa (AN) remain poorly understood, hindering the development of effective neurobiological treatments such as medications and brain stimulation. A large number of studies have been undertaken utilising neuroimaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), to gain a better understanding of the brain mechanisms involved in the illness. However, the analyses undertaken by many studies have utilised a whole-brain analytical approach as much of this research has been exploratory in nature. This is, however, problematic as small brain regions that differ between groups may not have the statistical power to produce statistically significant results. This is highlighted in a recent study undertaken by our group utilising diffusion-weighted imaging. In this research, we identified widespread white matter microstructural differences in individuals with AN, but only showed differences in a small brain region (the superior colliculus) when a region-of-interest approach that was driven by behavioural findings was utilised. The importance of hypothesis-driven neuroimaging analyses is discussed in this article.

Eye-tracking research in eating disorders: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Those with eating disorders (EDs) show attentional biases to disorder-relevant stimuli, such as food and body shape information. However, attentional bias research in EDs largely relies on reaction time based measures, which are limited in their ability to assess different components and the time course of attention. Eye-tracking paradigms have therefore been utilized to provide greater ecological validity, and directly capture the detailed sequence of processes in perception and attention. While numerous studies have examined eye movements in the mood, anxiety, and psychotic disorders, there has been a lack of studies in EDs. The purpose of this qualitative review is to provide a summary of eye-tracking studies in clinical ED populations.

METHOD

The review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines. Electronic databases were systematically searched to identify studies examining gaze parameters in ED compared to healthy controls (HCs). Thirty-one studies met inclusion criteria.

RESULTS

Across ED diagnoses, there was evidence of attentional biases towards food and body stimuli. In addition, differential patterns of attention to social information, and differences in smooth pursuit and saccadic eye movements were found in anorexia nervosa (AN).

DISCUSSION

Findings are discussed in relation to research in other psychiatric disorders, and recommendations for future studies using eye-tracking in EDs are given. The findings add to the wider literature on attentional biases in EDs, and provide potential avenues for treatment. IJED-18-0331.R1. Investigación de seguimiento ocular en trastornos de la conducta alimentaria: una revisión sistemática.

Risk of eating disorders in a group of high school students of a school in Bogotá D.C., Colombia. 2016

Introduction: According to estimations, eating disorders affect 1-4% of the general population. In Colombia, few studies address this issue; however it has been found that the percentage of women with anorexia in Bogotá D.C. is similar to figures worldwide.Objective: To identify the risk of developing eating disorders (ED) in sixth through eighth grade students from a private school of Bogotá D.C.Materials and methods: Cross-sectional quantitative study conducted in sixth through eighth grade students from a school of Bogotá D.C., who were applied the EAT-26 Test. Those with scores greater than 20 were classified as having symptoms of risk of ED, and parents were summoned to receive prevention education on this matter.Results: 979 students were surveyed: 523 were boys and 456, girls, a 9.4% prevalence of ED risk was found. Male students of the lower grades had a higher risk of suffering from eating disorders; predominance was observed in the female sex as the grade level increased.Conclusion: Men are more likely to develop risk symptoms for eating disorders, especially at early ages. Designing strategies to prevent the onset of this disorder in the school population is recommended.

Eating disorder symptomatology and body mass index are associated with readers' expectations about character behavior: Evidence from eye-tracking during reading

OBJECTIVE

Many theories have been put forward suggesting key factors underlying the development and maintenance of eating disorders, such as: unhealthy food-related cognitive biases, negative body attitude, and perfectionism; however, underlying cognitive processes associated with eating disorder symptomatology remain unclear. We used eye-tracking during reading as a novel implicit measure of how these factors may relate to eating disorder symptomatology.

METHOD

In two experiments, we monitored women's eye movements while they read texts in which the characters' emotional responses to food-, body image-, and perfectionism-related scenarios were described. Participants' eating disorder symptomatology was then assessed.

RESULTS

Both studies suggest that moment-to-moment processing of characters' emotional responses to perfectionism-, and to a lesser extent, body image-related information was associated with participants' eating disorder symptomatology, thus supporting theories in which these factors are key to developing and maintaining eating disorders. Interestingly, the moment-to-moment processing of characters' emotional responses to food-related scenarios was not related to eating disorder symptomatology.

DISCUSSION

These findings provide novel insights into cognitive processes underlying eating disorder symptomatology, as well as demonstrating the utility of more natural implicit measures.

Implicit Mental Motor Imagery Task Demonstrates a Distortion of the Body Schema in Patients With Eating Disorders

OBJECTIVES

A rich body of literature has established the role of body image distortion and dissatisfaction in the development and maintenance of eating disorders. However, many of the currently used techniques require explicit comparison of the person's body to an external stimulus. As the body schema is a largely unconscious construct, explicit comparison tasks may reflect a proxy, rather than the body schema itself.

METHODS

Here we use an implicit mental motor imagery (MMI) task to interrogate the body schema in healthy control participants (N=40) and participants at a residential eating disorder treatment center (N=42). By comparing the time it takes to imagine making a movement along a part of the body to the time it takes to actually make the same movement, we were able to assess participants' mental image of their body (i.e., body schema).

RESULTS

We found that participants with eating disorders, but not healthy controls, exhibited distortions of the body schema such that they believed their abdomen, buttocks, and thighs to be larger than they really are. Additionally, the MMI task used here provided information above and beyond traditional self-report measures (i.e., Body Shape Questionnaire). Together the MMI task and traditional measures provide the most information.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings using the novel MMI task are in line with the literature; participants with eating disorders consider themselves to be larger than they truly are. Taken together, results of this study suggest that MMI tasks provide complementary information to traditional self-report measures. (JINS, 2018, 24, 715-723).

White matter microstructure in anorexia nervosa

The neurobiological underpinnings of anorexia nervosa (AN) are unclear. White matter deficits have been described in the illness, but findings are inconsistent between studies. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in white matter microstructure in AN using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). It was hypothesised that people with AN, relative to a healthy control (HC) group, would show decreased functional anisotropy (FA) and increased mean diffusivity (MD) in the fornix and superior longitudinal fasciculus, consistent with previous literature. Analyses were conducted on 23 females with AN and 26 age- and gender-matched HCs using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS). The results revealed widespread FA decreases and MD increases in the AN group. Our hypothesis was largely supported, although FA differences were not specifically found in the fornix. The findings suggest extensive differences in white matter structure in AN, which may contribute to AN pathophysiology.

It Is Not Just in Faces! Processing of Emotion and Intention from Biological Motion in Psychiatric Disorders

Social neuroscience offers a wide range of techniques that may be applied to study the social cognitive deficits that may underlie reduced social functioning—a common feature across many psychiatric disorders. At the same time, a significant proportion of research in this area has been conducted using paradigms that utilize static displays of faces or eyes. The use of point-light displays (PLDs) offers a viable alternative for studying recognition of emotion or intention inference while minimizing the amount of information presented to participants. This mini-review aims to summarize studies that have used PLD to study emotion and intention processing in schizophrenia (SCZ), affective disorders, anxiety and personality disorders, eating disorders and neurodegenerative disorders. Two main conclusions can be drawn from the reviewed studies: first, the social cognitive problems found in most of the psychiatric samples using PLD were of smaller magnitude than those found in studies presenting social information using faces or voices. Second, even though the information presented in PLDs is extremely limited, presentation of these types of stimuli is sufficient to elicit the disorder-specific, social cognitive biases (e.g., mood-congruent bias in depression, increased threat perception in anxious individuals, aberrant body size perception in eating disorders) documented using other methodologies. Taken together, these findings suggest that point-light stimuli may be a useful method of studying social information processing in psychiatry. At the same time, some limitations of using this methodology are also outlined.

Investigating Body Image Disturbance in Anorexia Nervosa Using Novel Biometric Figure Rating Scales: A Pilot Study

This study uses novel biometric figure rating scales (FRS) spanning body mass index (BMI) 13.8 to 32.2 kg/m² and BMI 18 to 42 kg/m² . The aims of the study were (i) to compare FRS body weight dissatisfaction and perceptual distortion of women with anorexia nervosa (AN) to a community sample; (ii) how FRS parameters are associated with questionnaire body dissatisfaction, eating disorder symptoms and appearance comparison habits; and (iii) whether the weight spectrum of the FRS matters. Women with AN (n = 24) and a community sample of women (n = 104) selected their current and ideal body on the FRS and completed additional questionnaires. Women with AN accurately picked the body that aligned best with their actual weight in both FRS. Controls underestimated their BMI in the FRS 14-32 and were accurate in the FRS 18-42. In both FRS, women with AN desired a body close to their actual BMI and controls desired a thinner body. Our observations suggest that body image disturbance in AN is unlikely to be characterized by a visual perceptual disturbance, but rather by an idealization of underweight in conjunction with high body dissatisfaction. The weight spectrum of FRS can influence the accuracy of BMI estimation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

Differences in regional grey matter volumes in currently ill patients with anorexia nervosa

Neurobiological findings in anorexia nervosa (AN) are inconsistent, including differences in regional grey matter volumes. Methodological limitations often contribute to the inconsistencies reported. The aim of this study was to improve on these methodologies by utilising voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis with the use of diffeomorphic anatomic registration through an exponentiated lie algebra algorithm (DARTEL), in a relatively large group of individuals with AN. Twenty-six individuals with AN and 27 healthy controls underwent a T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. AN participants were found to have reduced grey matter volumes in a number of areas including regions of the basal ganglia (including the ventral striatum), and parietal and temporal cortices. Body mass index (BMI) and global scores on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) were also found to correlate with grey matter volumes in a region of the brainstem (including the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area) in AN, and predicted 56% of the variance in grey matter volumes in this area. The brain regions associated with grey matter reductions in AN are consistent with regions responsible for cognitive deficits associated with the illness including anhedonia, deficits in affect perception and saccadic eye movement abnormalities. Overall, the findings suggest reduced grey matter volumes in AN that are associated with eating disorder symptomatology.

Where Do You Look? Visual Attention to Human Bodies across the Weight Spectrum in Individuals with Normal Weight or with Obesity

OBJECTIVE

We investigated how individuals with normal weight (NW) versus individuals with obesity (OB) visually explore human bodies varying in BMI.

METHODS

16 OB (BMI 37.5 ± 7.7 kg/m²) and 35 NW (BMI 21.5 ± 1.6 kg/m²) visually explored 35 natural photographs and 25 avatars depicting male and female bodies ranging from normal weight to obesity. Gaze behaviour was assessed using eye tracking technology. Additionally, participants rated the attractiveness of all body stimuli.

RESULTS

A comparison of the displayed gaze behaviour shown by both participant weight classes indicates that regarding visual stimuli of obese natural bodies, all participants (OB + NW) looked at the waist longer, whereas regarding visual stimuli of normal-weight bodies, all participants viewed the head longer. Overall, OB spent less time looking at the bodies than NW. All participants rated normal-weight bodies as more attractive than obese bodies. However, the NW sample rated the depicted obese bodies as even less attractive than the OB sample did.

CONCLUSIONS

The BMI of the explored body, but not the observer's BMI, produces differences in the visual exploration of human bodies. The displayed exploration pattern of obese bodies can cautiously be interpreted as a 'de-individualised' and 'obesity-focused' perception. This tendency may prove in close relationship with the negative cultural views on obesity.

Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and physical space in anorexia nervosa: a virtual reality and repertory grid investigation

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder characterized by severe body image disturbances. Recent studies from spatial cognition showed a connection between the experience of body and of space. The objectives of this study were to explore the meanings that characterize AN experience and to deepen the examination of spatiality in relational terms, through the study of how the patient construes herself and her interpersonal world. More specifically this study aimed (1) to verify whether spatial variables and aspects of construing differentiate patients with AN and healthy controls (HCs) and are related to severity of anorexic symptomatology; (2) to explore correlations between impairments in spatial abilities and interpersonal construing. A sample of 12 AN patients and 12 HCs participated in the study. The Eating Disorder Inventory, a virtual reality-based procedure, traditional measures of spatial abilities, and repertory grids were administered. The AN group compared to HCs showed significant impairments in spatial abilities, more unidimensional construing, and more extreme construing of the present self and of the self as seen by others. All these dimensions correlated with the severity of symptomatology. Extreme ways of construing characterized individuals with AN and might represent the interpersonal aspect of impairment in spatial reference frames.

Resting state functional connectivity in anorexia nervosa

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a serious psychiatric illness characterised by a disturbance in body image, a fear of weight gain and significantly low body weight. The factors involved in the genesis and maintenance of AN are unclear, though the potential neurobiological underpinnings of the condition are of increasing interest. Through the investigation of functional connectivity of the brain at rest, information relating to neuronal communication and integration of information that may relate to behaviours and cognitive symptoms can be explored. The aim of this study was to investigate functional connectivity of the default mode network, and sensorimotor and visual networks in AN. 26 females with AN and 27 healthy control participants matched for age, gender and premorbid intelligence underwent a resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. Default mode network functional connectivity did not differ between groups. AN participants displayed reduced functional connectivity between the sensorimotor and visual networks, in comparison to healthy controls. This finding is discussed in terms of differences in visuospatial processing in AN and the distortion of body image experienced by these individuals. Overall, the findings suggest that sensorimotor and visual network connectivity may be related to visuospatial processing in AN, though, further research is required.