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Krug I, Fung S, Liu S, Treasure J, Huang C, Felmingham K, Fuller-Tyszkiewicz M, McConchie O. The impact of oxytocin on emotion recognition and trust: Does disordered eating moderate these relationships? PLoS One 2024; 19:e0303824. [PMID: 38820421 PMCID: PMC11142561 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0303824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The current study aimed to investigate the impact of oxytocin on emotion recognition, trust, body image, affect, and anxiety and whether eating disorder (ED) symptoms moderated any of these relationships. METHOD Participants (n = 149) were female university students, who were randomly allocated to receive in a double-blind nature, a single dose of oxytocin intranasal spray (n = 76) or a placebo (saline) intranasal spray (n = 73). Participants were asked to complete an experimental measure of emotion recognition and an investor task aimed to assess trust. RESULTS The oxytocin group exhibited better overall performance on the emotion recognition task (especially with recognising positive emotions), and a decline in state positive affect than the control group at post-intervention. However, these effects were not moderated by ED symptom severity, nor were effects found for state anxiety, negative affect, body image and recognising negative emotions in the emotion recognition task. CONCLUSION The current findings contribute to the growing literature on oxytocin, emotion recognition and positive affect and suggest that ED pathology does not moderate these relationships. Future research would benefit from examining the efficacy of an oxytocin intervention using a within-subjects, cross-over design, in those with sub-clinical and clinical EDs, as well as healthy controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Krug
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Stephanie Fung
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Shanshan Liu
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Janet Treasure
- Department of Psychological Medicine, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Section of Eating Disorders, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chia Huang
- Eating Disorders Program, The Melbourne Clinic, Richmond, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kim Felmingham
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz
- School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia
- Centre for Social and Early Emotional Development, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia
| | - Olivia McConchie
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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2
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Santos BM, Haynos AF. Difficulties with positive emotion regulation in anorexia nervosa. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2023; 31:520-528. [PMID: 36854860 PMCID: PMC10239315 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) have well-documented difficulties regulating negative emotions, but less is known about positive emotion regulation in this population. To address this gap, we compared responses on the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale-Positive questionnaire and the traditional DERS questionnaire (measuring negative affect dysregulation) between females with AN (n = 30) and demographically-matched controls without an eating disorder history (NC; n = 30) and examined relations between positive emotion regulation and clinical symptoms. Results indicated that individuals with AN demonstrated greater difficulty regulating negative (p < 0.001, d = 2.75) and positive (p < 0.001, d = 1.08) emotions compared to NC participants. Specifically, the AN group reported heightened positive emotion nonacceptance (p = 0.004, d = 0.78) and impulsivity (p = 0.003, d = 0.81). Greater positive emotion nonacceptance was associated with higher anxiety (p = 0.015) and depression (p = 0.022) among individuals with AN. Unexpectedly, more positive emotion impulsivity was associated with less restrictive eating in AN (p < 0.001). Findings were largely maintained even after controlling for negative emotion dysregulation and psychotropic medication use. The results suggest that reducing shame related to positive emotions could improve mood in AN; alternatively, relinquishing control when experiencing positive emotion could reduce restriction. More research is warranted on positive emotion regulation as a treatment target for AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bolade M. Santos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ann F. Haynos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
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Robin M, Surjous L, Belbèze J, Bonnardel L, Lamas C, Silva J, Peres V, Corcos M. Four attachment-based categories of emotion regulation in adolescent psychic troubles. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1133980. [PMID: 37275718 PMCID: PMC10237043 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1133980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Emotion regulation is altered in many psychiatric disorders in adolescence, but the understanding of mechanisms that underlie this alteration is still poor. Methods The PERCEPT study explores alexithymia, empathy, facial emotion recognition (FER) and defence mechanisms in a sample of adolescents in psychiatric care (n = 61, 74% of girls, mean age = 15.03 y.o.), in relation with participants' attachment styles. Results Results revealed correlations between attachment dimensions and all of the emotion regulation variables, suggesting that attachment modalities have functional links with emotional regulation at its different levels: FER accuracy was inversely correlated with avoidant attachment, while affective empathy, difficulty in identifying feelings (alexithymia) and immature as well as neurotic defence mechanisms were positively correlated with anxious attachment. Moreover, attachment categories delineated distinct emotional perception profiles. In particular, preoccupied attachment included adolescents with the highest levels of facial emotion perception (sensitivity and accuracy) and of affective empathy, whereas detached attachment included adolescents with the lowest levels of these variables. Neurotic defence mechanisms and difficulty to identify feelings were correlated with preoccupied attachment; immature defence mechanisms and difficulty to describe feelings to others characterized fearful attachment. Discussion These results suggest that attachment categories underlie emotion regulation processes in psychiatric disorders in adolescence. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marion Robin
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
- CESP, INSERM U1178, Paris-Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - Luc Surjous
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
- Paris Cité University, Paris, France
| | - Jean Belbèze
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
- Paris Cité University, Paris, France
| | - Lucile Bonnardel
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
| | - Claire Lamas
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
| | - Jérôme Silva
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
| | - Victoire Peres
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
| | - Maurice Corcos
- Department of Adolescent and Young Adult Psychiatry, Institut Mutualiste Montsouris, Paris, France
- Paris Cité University, Paris, France
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Gaggero G, Luminet O, Vermeulen N, De Timary P, Nandrino JL, Goffinet S, Dereau J, Shankland R, Dassonneville C, Grynberg D. A multidimensional examination of affective and cognitive empathy in anorexia nervosa. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2023. [PMID: 37081796 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/09/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023]
Abstract
Socio-emotional features are crucial in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN). The present study investigates the patterns of altered and preserved empathic abilities in AN. Empathy is an umbrella term that comprises the ability to recognise another's emotional state, take another's perspective, and fantasise (cognitive empathy), as well as the ability to experience vicarious emotions and signal them (affective empathy). These empathic abilities were measured in 43 AN patients and 33 healthy women through a multi-method approach comprising self-report measures, behavioural tasks and bodily correlates. Further, we assessed self-reported approach-avoidance attitudes towards suffering others. Results showed that, within the domain of cognitive empathy, AN patients reported impairment in recognising emotional expressions of anger and fantasising. Concerning affective empathy, they manifested lower sharing of others' positive emotions, higher self-reported distress, and higher facial expressiveness during a video depicting a suffering person. Finally, AN patients reported lower motivation to approach suffering others. Our results draw a complex picture of preserved and altered empathic abilities in AN and capture which are the deficits mediated by the higher levels of anxiety and depression reported by the AN population and those that seem to persist independently from these co-morbid conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Gaggero
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Lille, France
| | - O Luminet
- Psychological Science Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS), Brussels, Belgium
| | - N Vermeulen
- Psychological Science Research Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- Fund for Scientific Research (FRS-FNRS), Brussels, Belgium
| | - P De Timary
- Department of Adult Psychiatry, UCLouvain, Institute of Neuroscience and Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc, Brussels, Belgium
| | - J L Nandrino
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Lille, France
| | - S Goffinet
- Service de Psychiatrie Infanto-Juvénile, Hospital Erasme, HUB, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - J Dereau
- Clinique La Ramée, Bruxelles, Belgique
| | - R Shankland
- Laboratory DIPHE (Development, Individual, Personality, Handicap, Education), Department of Psychology of Development, Education and Vulnerabilities, University Lumière Lyon, Bron, France
- Laboratory LIP/PC2S, Department of Psychology, University Grenoble Alpes/Savoie-Mont-Blanc, Grenoble, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - C Dassonneville
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Lille, France
| | - D Grynberg
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, Lille, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Sfärlea A, Radix AK, Schulte-Körne G, Legenbauer T, Platt B. Attention Biases for Eating Disorder-Related Stimuli Versus Social Stimuli in Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa - An Eye-Tracking Study. Res Child Adolesc Psychopathol 2023; 51:541-555. [PMID: 36418631 PMCID: PMC10017650 DOI: 10.1007/s10802-022-00993-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by attention biases for eating disorder-related information as well as altered attentional processing of social information. However, little is known about the interplay between the altered attentional processing of these two types of information. The present study investigates attention biases for eating disorder-related information (pictures of bodies) versus social information (pictures of faces), in adolescents with AN. Attention biases were assessed via eye-tracking during a passive-viewing task in which female bodies and faces were presented simultaneously and thus competed directly for attention. Female adolescents (13-18 years) with AN (n = 28) were compared to a clinical comparison group (adolescents with major depression; n = 20) and a comparison group of adolescents with no mental illness (n = 24). All groups looked longer at bodies than at faces, i.e., showed attention biases for bodies in maintenance of attention. These biases were more pronounced in adolescents with AN than in both comparison groups, particularly for underweight bodies, at the expense of looking less at social stimuli. The results indicate "dual" attention biases in adolescents with AN (i.e., towards bodies and away from emotional faces) which could have a twofold negative impact on eating disorder psychopathology: increased attention to eating disorder-related information might directly influence eating disorder symptoms while less attention to social information might have an indirect influence through the amplification of interpersonal difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca Sfärlea
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Research Department, Nussbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany.
| | - Anne Kathrin Radix
- LWL-University Clinic of the RUB Bochum, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics, Hamm, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Research Department, Nussbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Tanja Legenbauer
- LWL-University Clinic of the RUB Bochum, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics, Hamm, Germany
| | - Belinda Platt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Research Department, Nussbaumstr. 5, 80336, Munich, Germany
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Tenconi E, Meregalli V, Buffa A, Collantoni E, Cavallaro R, Meneguzzo P, Favaro A. Belief Inflexibility and Cognitive Biases in Anorexia Nervosa-The Role of the Bias against Disconfirmatory Evidence and Its Clinical and Neuropsychological Correlates. J Clin Med 2023; 12:jcm12051746. [PMID: 36902532 PMCID: PMC10003469 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12051746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2023] [Revised: 02/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to explore, in a sample of patients with a diagnosis of AN, the ability to question their first impression and, in particular, the willingness to integrate their prior ideas and thoughts with additional progressive incoming information. A total of 45 healthy women and 103 patients with a diagnosis of AN, consecutively admitted to the Eating Disorder Padova Hospital-University Unit, underwent a broad clinical and neuropsychological assessment. All participants were administered the Bias Against Disconfirmatory Evidence (BADE) task, which specifically investigates belief integration cognitive bias. Acute AN patients showed a significantly greater bias toward disconfirming their previous judgment, in comparison to healthy women (BADE score, respectively, 2.5 ± 2.0 vs. 3.3 ± 1.6; Mann-Whitney test, p = 0.012). A binge-eating/purging subtype of AN individuals, compared to restrictive AN patients and controls, showed greater disconfirmatory bias and also a significant propensity to uncritically accept implausible interpretations (BADE score, respectively, 1.55 ± 1.6 and 2.70 ± 1.97 vs. 3.33 ± 1.63; Kruskal-Wallis test, p = 0.002 and liberal acceptance score, respectively, 1.32 ± 0.93 and 0.92 ± 1.21 vs. 0.98 ± 0.75; Kruskal-Wallis test p = 0.03). Abstract thinking skills and cognitive flexibility, as well as high central coherence, are neuropsychological aspects positively correlated with cognitive bias, in both patients and controls. Research into belief integration bias in AN population could enable us to shed light on hidden dimensional aspects, facilitating a better understanding of the psychopathology of a disorder that is so complex and difficult to treat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Tenconi
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35129 Padova, Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-0498217771
| | - Valentina Meregalli
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35129 Padova, Italy
| | - Adriana Buffa
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Enrico Collantoni
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Roberto Cavallaro
- School of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
- IRCCS San Raffaele Turro, Scientific Institute Hospital, 20127 Milan, Italy
| | - Paolo Meneguzzo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
| | - Angela Favaro
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Padova, 35128 Padova, Italy
- Padova Neuroscience Center, University of Padova, 35129 Padova, Italy
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7
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Murray SB, Zbozinek TD, Craske M, Tadayonnejad R, Strober M, Bari AA, O'Doherty JP, Feusner JD. Neural, physiological, and psychological markers of appetitive conditioning in anorexia nervosa: a study protocol. J Eat Disord 2022; 10:68. [PMID: 35538507 PMCID: PMC9092702 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-022-00546-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a chronic and disabling psychiatric condition characterized by low hedonic drive towards food, and is thought to be inclusive of altered dimensions of reward processing. Whether there exists a fundamental aberrancy in the capacity to acquire and maintain de novo hedonic associations-a critical component of hedonic responding-has never been studied in AN. METHODS This multi-modal study will employ a 2-day Pavlovian appetitive conditioning paradigm to interrogate the (1) acquisition, (2) extinction, (3) spontaneous recovery and (4) reinstatement of appetitive learning in adolescents and young adults with AN. Participants will be 30 currently ill, underweight individuals with AN; 30 weight-restored individuals with AN; and 30 age-matched healthy controls, all aged 12-22 years. All subjects will undergo clinical assessment, followed by the 2-day appetitive conditioning task during which fMRI, pupillometry, heart rate deceleration, and subjective ratings will be acquired. DISCUSSION This study will be the first to interrogate appetitive conditioning in AN-a disorder characterized by altered hedonic responding to food. Results will help establish objective biomarkers of appetitive conditioning in AN and lay the groundwork for developing novel lines of treatment for AN and other psychiatric disorders involving diminished ability to experience pleasure and reward. TRIAL REGISTRATION Pending. INTENDED REGISTRY Clinicaltrials.gov.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart B Murray
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Southern California, 2250 Alcazar Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90033, USA.
| | - Tomislav D Zbozinek
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Michelle Craske
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Reza Tadayonnejad
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Computation and Neural Systems Program, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Michael Strober
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Ausaf A Bari
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - John P O'Doherty
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jamie D Feusner
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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8
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Sfärlea A, Lukas L, Schulte-Körne G, Platt B. The KOALA-study: study protocol for a comprehensive study of cognitive biases in adolescent anorexia nervosa patients compared to healthy and clinical controls. J Eat Disord 2021; 9:139. [PMID: 34715933 PMCID: PMC8555351 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-021-00494-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by dysfunctional cognitions including cognitive biases at various levels of information processing. However, less is known about the specificity of these biases, i.e., if they occur for eating-disorder-related information alone or also for non-eating-disorder-related emotional information in AN patients (content-specificity) and if they are unique to individuals with AN or are also shown by individuals with other mental disorders (disorder-specificity). METHODS The present study systematically assesses cognitive biases in 12-18-year-old female adolescents with AN on three levels of information processing (attention, interpretation, and memory) and with regard to two types of information content (eating-disorder-related, i.e., stimuli related to body weight and shape, and non-eating-disorder-related). To address not only content- but also disorder-specificity, adolescents with AN will be compared not only to a healthy control group but also to a clinical control group (adolescents with major depression or particular anxiety disorders). Cognitive biases are assessed within a single experimental paradigm based on the Scrambled Sentences Task. During the task eye movements are recorded in order to assess attention biases while interpretation biases are derived from the behavioural outcome. An incidental free recall test afterwards assesses memory biases. We expect adolescents with AN to show more pronounced negative cognitive biases on all three levels of information processing and for both types of content compared to healthy adolescents. In addition, we expect the specificity of biases to translate into differential results for the two types of content: AN patients are expected to show stronger biases for disorder-related stimuli but similar or less pronounced biases for non-disorder-related stimuli compared to the clinical control group. DISCUSSION This is the first study to comprehensively assess cognitive biases in adolescents with AN. It will have essential implications not only for cognitive-behavioural models of AN but also for subsequent studies aiming to modify cognitive biases in this population, thereby addressing important maintaining factors already at an early stage of the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anca Sfärlea
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336, Munich, Germany.
| | - Linda Lukas
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerd Schulte-Körne
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Belinda Platt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336, Munich, Germany
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9
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Corsi E, Cardi V, Sowden S, Coll M, Cascino G, Ricca V, Treasure J, Bird G, Monteleone AM. Socio-cognitive processing in people with eating disorders: Computerized tests of mentalizing, empathy and imitation skills. Int J Eat Disord 2021; 54:1509-1518. [PMID: 34056730 PMCID: PMC8453969 DOI: 10.1002/eat.23556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2020] [Revised: 04/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Eating disorders are psychiatric illnesses characterized by extreme eating behaviors, such as sustained food restriction or loss of control over eating. Symptoms are thought to be maintained by a variety of mechanisms, one of which may be the socio-cognitive impairments associated with eating disorders. While some previous work has addressed socio-cognitive impairments in eating disorders, this work has relied mostly on self-report data. METHOD Here we employed computerized tests of (a) mentalizing (ability to infer the mental states of others); (b) empathy (the degree to which the emotional states of others can be identified and the degree to which the states of others impact one's own emotional state); and (c) imitation (the degree to which observation of another's actions prompts the performance of those actions); in a group of 78 women with an eating disorder and a matched control group of 66 healthy women. RESULTS People with eating disorders showed both hyper- and hypo-mentalizing and reduced accuracy of emotional and cognitive mental state inference. They displayed less imitation of observed actions, but no differences in empathy compared to healthy controls. Although anxiety and depressive symptoms had significant effects on mentalizing, most of the observed inter-group differences persisted. DISCUSSION Women with eating disorders have difficulties mentalizing and imitating observed actions despite intact non-social automatic imitation, compared to healthy controls. These findings provide an indication that intervention modules to strengthen specific areas of social cognition might be helpful to improve patients' social skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Corsi
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating DisordersInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonUK
- Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | - Valentina Cardi
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating DisordersInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonUK
- Department of General PsychologyUniversity of PadovaPadovaItaly
| | | | | | - Giammarco Cascino
- Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry ‘Scuola Medica Salernitana’, Section of NeurosciencesUniversity of SalernoSalernoItaly
| | - Valdo Ricca
- Psychiatry Unit, Department of Health SciencesUniversity of FlorenceFlorenceItaly
| | - Janet Treasure
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating DisordersInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental PsychologyUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry CentreInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonUK
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10
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Leppanen J, Tosunlar L, Blackburn R, Williams S, Tchanturia K, Sedgewick F. Critical incidents in anorexia nervosa: perspectives of those with a lived experience. J Eat Disord 2021; 9:53. [PMID: 33875005 PMCID: PMC8054426 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-021-00409-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although social-emotional difficulties are believed play a key role in anorexia nervosa (AN), there is uncertainty regarding what these difficulties might look like. Previous research has largely focused on a "disease model" of social-emotional processing in AN with little attention paid to positive emotions and experiences. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to obtain a fuller picture of critical life events as identified by those with lived AN experience. METHODS Thirty-four participants aged 16-48 with current or past AN completed an online survey describing self-defined positive and difficult critical events. Thematic analysis was used to assess patterns in participants narrative responses. RESULTS Two major themes were identified in the descriptions of positive critical events: Moments of celebration and Unexpected positive outcomes. These major themes revealed increased external focus and some corrective experiences that challenged the participants pre-existing expectations leading to new positive outcomes. Difficult events clustered into life events that were identified as Eating disorder (ED) related and Non-ED related and included the dimensions of relational conflict and feeling unsupported. DISCUSSION The findings suggest that although negative emotionality was identified in the accounts of those with lived experience of AN capacity for "big-picture" thinking with and explicit focus on others was also identified. Moreover, an openness to corrective experiences that worked to challenge negative expectations was evident for some participants. Together these findings have scope as targets for further clinical research and treatment interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Leppanen
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, 103 Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
| | - Lara Tosunlar
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, 103 Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Rachael Blackburn
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, 103 Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Steven Williams
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry and Neuroscience, King's College London, 103 Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK
- South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust National Eating Disorder Service, London, UK
- Psychology Department, Illia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
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11
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D’Agata F, Caroppo P, Spalatro A, Lavagnino L, Abbate Daga G, Boghi A, Bergui M, Cicerale A, Vitiello B, Fassino S, Derntl B, Amianto F. Emotional imagination of negative situations: Functional neuroimaging in anorexia and bulimia. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0231684. [PMID: 33836002 PMCID: PMC8034744 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Aim The present study aims to extend the knowledge of the neural correlates of emotion processing in first episode subjects affected by anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN). We applied an emotional distress paradigm targeting negative emotions thought to be relevant for interpersonal difficulties and therapeutic resistance mechanisms. Methods The current study applied to 44 female participants with newly diagnosed AN or BN and 20 matched controls a neuroimaging paradigm eliciting affective responses. The measurements also included an extensive assessment comprising clinical scales, neuropsychological tests, measures of emotion processing and empathy. Results AN and BN did not differ from controls in terms of emotional response, emotion matching, self-reported empathy and cognitive performance. However, eating disorder and psychopathological clinical scores, as well as alexithymia levels, were increased in AN and BN. On a neural level, no significant group differences emerged, even when focusing on a region of interest selected a priori: the amygdala. Some interesting findings put in relation the hippocampal activity with the level of Body Dissatisfaction of the participants, the relative importance of the key nodes for the common network in the decoding of different emotions (BN = right amygdala, AN = anterior cingulate area), and the qualitative profile of the deactivations. Conclusions Our data do not support the hypothesis that participants with AN or BN display reduced emotional responsiveness. However, peculiar characteristics in emotion processing could be associated to the three different groups. Therefore, relational difficulties in eating disorders, as well as therapeutic resistance, could be not secondary to a simple difficulty in feeling and identifying basic negative emotions in AN and BN participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federico D’Agata
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
- Computational Imaging Group for MR diagnostics & therapy, Center for Image Sciences, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Paola Caroppo
- Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Neurologico Carlo Besta, Milan, Italy
| | - Angela Spalatro
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Luca Lavagnino
- UT Center of Excellence on Mood Disorders, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, UT Houston Medical School, Houston, Texas, United States of America
| | | | - Andrea Boghi
- ASL TO2 San Giovanni Bosco Hospital, Turin, Italy
| | - Mauro Bergui
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Benedetto Vitiello
- Department of Public Health and Pediatric Sciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Secondo Fassino
- Department of Neurosciences, University of Torino, Turin, Italy
| | - Birgit Derntl
- Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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12
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Emotion perception and theory of mind in obesity: a systematic review on the impact of social cognitive deficits on dysfunctional eating behaviors. Surg Obes Relat Dis 2020; 17:618-629. [PMID: 33249085 DOI: 10.1016/j.soard.2020.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this paper was to summarize our current understanding of emotion perception and Theory of Mind (ToM) in obesity and how they relate to dysfunctional eating behaviors (DEB), frequently found in candidates for bariatric surgery. The literature was searched using the electronic databases PsychInfo, Medline, and Web of Science databases, and by additional hand searches through reference lists and specialist eating disorders journals. Relevant studies were included if they were written in English, included participants suffering from obesity and evaluation with tasks assessing social cognition, such as emotion recognition and perception, as well as ToM. Twelve studies analyzed for this systematic review suggest that deficits in such social cognitive domains may lie behind many emotional and social difficulties present in people with obesity, be they bariatric or not, which usually favor DEB. Our review suggests that people with obesity of all ages score significantly less than controls on instruments assessing emotion recognition and ToM, justifying a possible relationship between social cognitive impairments and dysfunctional eating behaviors, such as binges, emotional eating, and addition to food, frequently seen in people with obesity. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the social cognitive foundations of eating behavior in individuals with obesity. They can help not only the presurgical behavioral assessment, but also guide postoperative follow-up of this population.
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13
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Bentz M, Westwood H, Jepsen JRM, Plessen KJ, Tchanturia K. The autism diagnostic observation schedule: Patterns in individuals with anorexia nervosa. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2020; 28:571-579. [PMID: 32729156 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Studies have used the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (the ADOS-2) in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN), but the patterns of scores have not been assessed. We examined which subset of the ADOS-2 items best discriminate individuals with AN from healthy controls (HC), and assessed the potential clustering of AN participants based on different profiles of the ADOS-2 item scores. METHOD We combined datasets from two previous studies, and (a) compared mean ranks between young AN participants (N = 118) and HC (N = 42), (ii) replicated the item selection procedure of the existing ADOS-2 algorithm to assess sensitivity of items in the AN group, and (c) applied a two-step clustering analysis in the AN group (N = 149). RESULTS AN participants displayed significantly higher mean ranks than HC participants in five of 32 items. All five items are part of the existing ADOS-2 algorithm. We found two clusters of AN participants; one representing normal social behaviour, comprising 68% of the individuals with AN, and one representing less efficient social behaviour, comprising 32% of individuals with AN. CONCLUSIONS The items comprising the social affective cluster of the existing ADOS-2 algorithm are well suited to assess difficulties with social functioning in individuals with AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Bentz
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Heather Westwood
- Section of Eating Disorders, Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jens Richardt Møllegaard Jepsen
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Clinical Intervention and Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CINS) and Center for Neuropsychiatric Schizophrenia Research (CNSR), Mental Health Centre Glostrup, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kerstin Jessica Plessen
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Centre, Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Section of Eating Disorders, Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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14
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Haynos AF, Lavender JM, Nelson J, Crow SJ, Peterson CB. Moving towards specificity: A systematic review of cue features associated with reward and punishment in anorexia nervosa. Clin Psychol Rev 2020; 79:101872. [PMID: 32521390 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Models of anorexia nervosa (AN) posit that symptoms are maintained through deficient reward and enhanced punishment processing. However, theoretical and empirical inconsistencies highlight the need for a more nuanced conceptualization of this literature. Our goal was to comprehensively review the research on reward and punishment responding in AN from a cue-specific lens to determine which stimuli evoke or discourage reward and punishment responses in this population, and, ultimately, what properties these rewarding and punishing cues might share. A systematic review interrogating reward and punishment responses to specific cues yielded articles (n = 92) that examined responses to disorder relevant (e.g., food) and irrelevant (e.g., money) stimuli across self-report, behavioral, and biological indices. Overall, in most studies individuals with AN exhibited aversive responses to cues signaling higher body weights, social contexts, and monetary losses, and appetitive responses to cues for weight loss behaviors and thinness. Findings were more mixed on responses to palatable food and monetary gains. Results highlight that reward and punishment responding in AN are context specific and may be affected by varied stimulus qualities (e.g., predictability, controllability, delay, effort). Increasing specificity in future research on reward and punishment mechanisms in AN will better inform development of precisely-targeted interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann F Haynos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America.
| | - Jason M Lavender
- Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR) Program, Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, United States of America; The Metis Foundation, San Antonio, TX, United States of America
| | - Jillian Nelson
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, United States of America
| | - Scott J Crow
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; The Emily Program, St. Paul, MN, United States of America
| | - Carol B Peterson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States of America; The Emily Program, St. Paul, MN, United States of America
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15
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Konstantakopoulos G, Ioannidi N, Patrikelis P, Gonidakis F. Empathy, mentalizing, and cognitive functioning in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Soc Neurosci 2020; 15:477-488. [PMID: 32321371 DOI: 10.1080/17470919.2020.1760131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
The existing evidence on the specific profile and the determinants of empathic and mentalizing abilities in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) is not conclusive. Moreover, it is not clear whether patients with eating disorders also exhibit diminished ability to accurately appraise their own empathic skills. We examine in AN and BN: (a) the impairments in various aspects of empathy and theory of mind (ToM), while accounting for the effect of other cognitive functions and (b) the accuracy of self-appraisal of empathy. Self-reported and performance-based empathy, ToM, and cognitive functions were assessed in 46 patients with AN, 30 patients with BN, and 42 healthy controls (HC). Both AN and BN patients reported diminished overall empathic abilities, whereas only BN patients reported reduced cognitive empathy compared to HC. Deficits in performance-based empathy were found in both patient groups. Cognitive ToM was impaired only in AN. Significant correlations between self-reported and performance-based empathy were found in BN and HC but not in AN. Cognitive deficits negatively affected the self-appraisal of empathy in AN but not empathic skills per se. Our findings highlight a double deficit related to empathic responding in AN: diminished performance and inaccurate self-appraisal of empathic abilities, indicating dysfunctional self-reflection.
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Affiliation(s)
- George Konstantakopoulos
- First Department of Psychiatry, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital , Athens, Greece.,Department of Psychosis Studies, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College , London, UK
| | - Nikoleta Ioannidi
- First Department of Psychiatry, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital , Athens, Greece
| | - Panayiotis Patrikelis
- Department of Neurosurgery, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Evangelismos Hospital , Athens, Greece
| | - Frangiskos Gonidakis
- First Department of Psychiatry, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Eginition Hospital , Athens, Greece
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16
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE Impairments in facial emotion recognition are an underlying factor of deficits in emotion regulation and interpersonal difficulties in mental disorders and are evident in eating disorders (EDs). METHODS We used a computerized psychophysical paradigm to manipulate parametrically the quantity of signal in facial expressions of emotion (QUEST threshold seeking algorithm). This was used to measure emotion recognition in 308 adult women (anorexia nervosa [n = 61], bulimia nervosa [n = 58], healthy controls [n = 130], and mixed mental disorders [mixed, n = 59]). The M (SD) age was 22.84 (3.90) years. The aims were to establish recognition thresholds defining how much information a person needs to recognize a facial emotion expression and to identify deficits in EDs compared with healthy and clinical controls. The stimuli included six basic emotion expressions (fear, anger, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise), plus a neutral expression. RESULTS Happiness was discriminated at the lowest, fear at the highest threshold by all groups. There were no differences regarding thresholds between groups, except for the mixed and the bulimia nervosa group with respect to the expression of disgust (F(3,302) = 5.97, p = .001, η = .056). Emotional clarity, ED pathology, and depressive symptoms did not predict performance (RChange ≤ .010, F(1,305) ≤ 5.74, p ≥ .079). The confusion matrix did not reveal specific biases in either group. CONCLUSIONS Overall, within-subject effects were as expected, whereas between-subject effects were marginal and psychopathology did not influence emotion recognition. Facial emotion recognition abilities in women experiencing EDs compared with women experiencing mixed mental disorders and healthy controls were similar. Although basic facial emotion recognition processes seems to be intact, dysfunctional aspects such as misinterpretation might be important in emotion regulation problems. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER DRKS-ID: DRKS00005709.
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17
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Kerr-Gaffney J, Harrison A, Tchanturia K. Autism spectrum disorder traits are associated with empathic abilities in adults with anorexia nervosa. J Affect Disord 2020; 266:273-281. [PMID: 32056888 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2020.01.169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2019] [Revised: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social and emotional difficulties have been identified as key factors in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN). However, few studies have investigated the influence of comorbid psychopathology on social cognition. The aim of the current study was to examine perception of nonverbal communication and empathy in AN using ecologically valid, performance-based measures, and to explore associations with comorbid psychopathology (anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, alexithymia, and social anxiety). METHODS In this cross-sectional study, the Multifaceted Empathy Test (MET) and the Mini Profile of Nonverbal Sensitivity (MiniPONS) were administered to 51 adults with AN, 51 recovered AN (REC), and 51 healthy controls (HCs). Comorbid psychopathological traits were assessed using self-report questionnaires and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule - 2nd edition (ADOS-2). RESULTS Individuals with AN showed reduced affective empathy to positive stimuli compared to HCs, and a trend towards lower vocal prosody recognition scores relative to REC. Around a quarter of AN and REC scored above the clinical cut-off for ASD on the ADOS-2, and high ASD symptoms predicted lower cognitive and affective empathy scores. LIMITATIONS The study is cross-sectional, future research would benefit from examining social-cognition performance and comorbid psychopathology longitudinally. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the importance of ASD symptoms in empathy dysfunction in those with a lifetime history of AN. Future research should explore whether treatment adaptations to accommodate for differences in social-cognitive abilities may be helpful in the treatment of AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jess Kerr-Gaffney
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom.
| | - Amy Harrison
- University College London, Department of Psychology and Human Development, London, United Kingdom; South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, National Eating Disorders Service, Psychological Medicine Clinical Academic Group, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, London, United Kingdom; South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, National Eating Disorders Service, Psychological Medicine Clinical Academic Group, London, United Kingdom; Department of Psychology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
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18
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Treasure J, Willmott D, Ambwani S, Cardi V, Clark Bryan D, Rowlands K, Schmidt U. Cognitive Interpersonal Model for Anorexia Nervosa Revisited: The Perpetuating Factors that Contribute to the Development of the Severe and Enduring Illness. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E630. [PMID: 32120847 PMCID: PMC7141127 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9030630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Revised: 02/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The cognitive interpersonal model was outlined initially in 2006 in a paper describing the valued and visible aspects of anorexia nervosa (Schmidt and Treasure, 2006). In 2013, we summarised many of the cognitive and emotional traits underpinning the model (Treasure and Schmidt, 2013). In this paper, we describe in more detail the perpetuating aspects of the model, which include the inter- and intrapersonal related consequences of isolation, depression, and chronic stress that accumulate in the severe and enduring stage of the illness. Since we developed the model, we have been using it to frame research and development at the Maudsley. We have developed and tested interventions for both patients and close others, refining the model through iterative cycles of model/intervention development in line with the Medical Research Council (MRC) framework for complex interventions. For example, we have defined the consequences of living with the illness on close others (including medical professionals) and characterised the intense emotional reactions and behaviours that follow. For the individual with an eating disorder, these counter-reactions can allow the eating disorder to become entrenched. In addition, the consequent chronic stress from starvation and social pain set in motion processes such as depression, neuroprogression, and neuroadaptation. Thus, anorexia nervosa develops a life of its own that is resistant to treatment. In this paper, we describe the underpinnings of the model and how this can be targeted into treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janet Treasure
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; (J.T.); (V.C.); (D.C.B.); (K.R.); (U.S.)
| | - Daniel Willmott
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; (J.T.); (V.C.); (D.C.B.); (K.R.); (U.S.)
| | - Suman Ambwani
- Department of Psychology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA17013, USA;
| | - Valentina Cardi
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; (J.T.); (V.C.); (D.C.B.); (K.R.); (U.S.)
| | - Danielle Clark Bryan
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; (J.T.); (V.C.); (D.C.B.); (K.R.); (U.S.)
| | - Katie Rowlands
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; (J.T.); (V.C.); (D.C.B.); (K.R.); (U.S.)
| | - Ulrike Schmidt
- Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, SE5 8AF London, UK; (J.T.); (V.C.); (D.C.B.); (K.R.); (U.S.)
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19
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Yiend J, Allen P, Lopez ND, Falkenberg I, Tseng HH, McGuire P. Negative Interpretation Biases Precede the Onset of Psychosis. Behav Ther 2019; 50:718-731. [PMID: 31208682 DOI: 10.1016/j.beth.2018.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether a negative interpretation bias was present in people at high risk for psychosis. People with an At Risk Mental State (ARMS; n = 21), patients with First Episode Psychosis (FEP; n = 20), and healthy controls (n = 20) performed three tasks, each of which was designed to measure interpretation bias. Both ARMS and FEP participants showed an attenuated positive bias compared to controls. These findings extend previous results investigating interpretation bias in psychosis by showing that interpretative biases are present before the onset of psychosis, and could therefore contribute to its development. Biased interpretation mechanisms could be a new target for clinical intervention in the early phase of psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Irina Falkenberg
- King's College London; Department of Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Germany
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20
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Kerr-Gaffney J, Harrison A, Tchanturia K. Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Eating Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:102. [PMID: 30886590 PMCID: PMC6410675 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2018] [Accepted: 02/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Recent models of eating disorders (EDs) have proposed social and emotional difficulties as key factors in the development and maintenance of the illness. While a number of studies have demonstrated difficulties in theory of mind and emotion recognition, little is known about empathic abilities in those with EDs. Further, few studies have examined the cognitive-affective empathy profile in EDs. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to provide a synthesis of empathy studies in EDs, and examine whether those with EDs differ from healthy controls (HC) on self-reported total, cognitive, and affective empathy. Methods: Electronic databases were systematically searched for studies using self-report measures of empathy in ED populations. In total, 17 studies were identified, 14 of which could be included in the total empathy meta-analysis. Eight of the 14 studies were included in the cognitive and affective empathy meta-analyses. Results: Meta-analyses showed that while total empathy and affective empathy scores did not differ between those with anorexia nervosa (AN) and HC, those with AN had significantly lower cognitive empathy scores compared to HCs (small effect size). Meta-analyses of Interpersonal Reactivity Index sub-scores revealed that AN had significantly lower Fantasy scores than HC (small effect size), indicating that those with AN have more difficulty in identifying themselves with fictional characters. Only 3 studies examined empathy in those with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED). Conclusions: The lowered cognitive empathy and intact affective empathy profile found in AN is similar to that found in other psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These findings add to the literature characterizing the socio-emotional phenotype in EDs. Future research should examine the influence of comorbid psychopathology on empathy in EDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jess Kerr-Gaffney
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amy Harrison
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Psychological Medicine Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, National Eating Disorders Service, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Psychological Medicine Clinical Academic Group, South London and Maudsley NHS Trust, National Eating Disorders Service, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
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21
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Brewer R, Cook R, Cardi V, Treasure J, Catmur C, Bird G. Alexithymia explains increased empathic personal distress in individuals with and without eating disorders. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2018; 72:1827-1836. [DOI: 10.1177/1747021818816051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
It is often assumed that empathy impairments are common in individuals with eating disorders (EDs), but empirical work has been limited and produced mixed results, making the clinical features and treatment needs of this population difficult to determine. Alexithymia, characterised by difficulties identifying and describing one’s own emotions, frequently co-occurs with EDs and is associated with atypical recognition of, and empathy for, others’ emotions. This study used an existing empathy for pain paradigm to determine whether atypical empathy in EDs stems from co-occurring alexithymia, rather than EDs per se. Empathy (specifically personal distress in response to others’ pain) was assessed in individuals with EDs ( N = 21) and an alexithymia-matched control group ( N = 22). Participants were simultaneously members of a high alexithymia ( N = 16) or low alexithymia ( N = 27) group, allowing the independent contributions of alexithymia and EDs to be determined. Participants judged the laterality of hands and feet in painful and non-painful situations, and the degree of empathic interference on response times was measured. Results indicated that observation of painful stimuli affected task performance in those with high levels of alexithymia more than those with low levels, but no effect of ED diagnosis was observed. These findings suggest that co-occurring alexithymia explains increased empathic personal distress in ED populations. Atypical empathy may therefore not be a core feature of EDs, and interventions aimed at improving empathy-related social functioning may only be necessary for patients who also have alexithymia. These findings emphasise the importance of determining the influence of co-occurring alexithymia when assessing empathy in clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Brewer
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Richard Cook
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Valentina Cardi
- Section of Eating Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Janet Treasure
- Section of Eating Disorders, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Caroline Catmur
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
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22
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Attentional avoidance of emotional information in emotional eating. Psychiatry Res 2018; 269:172-177. [PMID: 30149274 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2018.08.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 08/10/2018] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
We investigated an attention bias (AB) for emotional faces in emotional eating (EM). A group obtaining a low score (n = 18) on the Emotional eating scale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire and a high scoring group (n = 23) completed the Exogenous Cueing Task (ECT). The ECT experiment measured their reaction times to the location of a target dot preceded by a happy, sad, angry or neutral face cue. The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations was administrated to collect information on participants' coping strategies. Compared to the group with a low degree of EM, the high EM group showed significant attentional avoidance of emotional faces, particularly negative faces, in the ECT. The coping questionnaire indicated that the high EM group displayed higher levels of avoidance coping compared to the low EM group. General levels of EM and avoidance coping were also positively correlated, and avoidance coping significantly predicted the level of EM. The findings of the present study indicate that attentional avoidance of emotional content, which has previously been observed in clinical studies of eating disorders (Cardi et al., 2015a; Davies et al., 2011), is also present in subclinical samples of EM.
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23
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Christensen SS, Bentz M, Clemmensen L, Strandberg‐Larsen K, Olsen EM. Disordered eating behaviours and autistic traits—Are there any associations in nonclinical populations? A systematic review. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2018; 27:8-23. [DOI: 10.1002/erv.2627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2018] [Revised: 06/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mette Bentz
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health CenterMental Health Services Copenhagen Denmark
| | - Lars Clemmensen
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health CenterMental Health Services Copenhagen Denmark
- Center for TelepsychiatryMental Health Services Region of Southern Denmark
| | | | - Else Marie Olsen
- Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public HealthUniversity of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
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Cardi V, Tchanturia K, Treasure J. Premorbid and Illness-related Social Difficulties in Eating Disorders: An Overview of the Literature and Treatment Developments. Curr Neuropharmacol 2018; 16:1122-1130. [PMID: 29345581 PMCID: PMC6187758 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x16666180118100028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2017] [Revised: 12/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Social difficulties in eating disorders can manifest as predisposing traits and premorbid difficulties, and/or as consequences of the illness. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to briefly review the evidence of social problems in people with eating disorders and to consider the literature on treatments that target these features. METHOD A narrative review of the literature was conducted. RESULTS People with eating disorders often manifest traits, such as shyness, increased tendency to submissiveness and social comparison, and problems with peer relationships before illness onset. Further social difficulties occur as the illness develops, including impaired social cognition and increased threat sensitivity. All relationships with family, peers and therapists are compromised by these effects. Thus, social difficulties are both risk and maintaining factors of eating disorders and are suitable targets for interventions. Several forms of generic treatments (e.g. interpersonal psychotherapy, cognitive analytic therapy, focal psychodynamic therapy) have an interpersonal focus and show some efficacy. Guided self-management based on the cognitive interpersonal model of the illness directed to both individuals and support persons has been found to improve outcomes for all parties. Adjunctive treatments that focus on specific social difficulties, such as cognitive remediation and emotion skills training and cognitive bias modification have been shown to have a promising role. CONCLUSION More work is needed to establish whether these approaches can improve on the rather disappointing outcomes that are attained by currently used treatments for eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Cardi
- Section of Eating Disorders, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, 103 Denmark Hill, LondonSE5 8AF, UK
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Section of Eating Disorders, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, 103 Denmark Hill, LondonSE5 8AF, UK
| | - Janet Treasure
- Section of Eating Disorders, King’s College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, 103 Denmark Hill, LondonSE5 8AF, UK
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25
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Dapelo MM, Surguladze S, Morris R, Tchanturia K. Emotion Recognition in Face and Body Motion in Bulimia Nervosa. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2017; 25:595-600. [DOI: 10.1002/erv.2554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2017] [Revised: 08/13/2017] [Accepted: 08/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Robin Morris
- Department of Psychology, IoPPN; King's College London (KCL); UK
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Psychological Medicine, IoPPN; King's College London (KCL); UK
- Ilia State University Tbilisi; Georgia
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26
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Cardi V, Ambwani S, Robinson E, Albano G, MacDonald P, Aya V, Rowlands K, Todd G, Schmidt U, Landau S, Arcelus J, Beecham J, Treasure J. Transition Care in Anorexia Nervosa Through Guidance Online from Peer and Carer Expertise (TRIANGLE): Study Protocol for a Randomised Controlled Trial. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2017; 25:512-523. [PMID: 28944595 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2017] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
TRIANGLE is a multicentre trial investigating whether the addition of a novel intervention for patients and carers (ECHOMANTRA) to treatment as usual (TAU) improves outcomes for people with anorexia nervosa (AN). ECHOMANTRA is based on the cognitive interpersonal model of AN and includes assessments, workbooks, videos, online groups and joint Skype sessions for patients and carers. People receiving intensive hospital treatment (N = 380) will be randomised to TAU or TAU plus ECHOMANTRA. Participants will be assessed over an 18-month period following randomisation. The primary outcome is patient psychological well-being at 12 months postrandomisation. Secondary outcomes include (i) patient's weight, eating disorder symptoms, motivation to change, quality of life and number of days in hospital at 12 months postrandomisation and (ii) carer's psychological well-being, burden and skills at 12 months (some outcomes will be assessed at 18 months postrandomisation). The results from this trial will establish the effectiveness of ECHOMANTRA. TRIAL REGISTRATION ISRCTN registry ISRCTN14644379, 08/12/2016. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Cardi
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Suman Ambwani
- Department of Psychology, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, USA
| | - Emily Robinson
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, UK
| | - Gaia Albano
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Pamela MacDonald
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Viviana Aya
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Katie Rowlands
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Gill Todd
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ulrike Schmidt
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Sabine Landau
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, UK
| | - Jon Arcelus
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Biostatistics and Health Informatics, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Jennifer Beecham
- Personal Social Services Research Unit, London School of Economics & Political Science, London, UK and University of Kent, Canterbury, UK
| | - Janet Treasure
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychological Medicine, Section of Eating Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
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27
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Cuesto G, Everaerts C, León LG, Acebes A. Molecular bases of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder: shedding light on the darkness. J Neurogenet 2017; 31:266-287. [PMID: 28762842 DOI: 10.1080/01677063.2017.1353092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Eating-disorders (EDs) consequences to human health are devastating, involving social, mental, emotional, physical and life-threatening aspects, concluding on impairment and death in cases of extreme anorexia nervosa. It also implies that people suffering an ED need to find psychiatric and psychological help as soon as possible to achieve a fully physical and emotional recovery. Unfortunately, to date, there is a crucial lack of efficient clinical treatment to these disorders. In this review, we present an overview concerning the actual pharmacological and psychological treatments, the knowledge of cells, circuits, neuropeptides, neuromodulators and hormones in the human brain- and other organs- underlying these disorders, the studies in animal models and, finally, the genetic approaches devoted to face this challenge. We will also discuss the need for new perspectives, avenues and strategies to be developed in order to pave the way to novel and more efficient therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Germán Cuesto
- a Centre for Biomedical Research of the Canary Islands , Institute of Biomedical Technologies, University of La Laguna , Tenerife , Spain
| | - Claude Everaerts
- b Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation , UMR 6265 CNRS, UMR 1324 INRA, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté , Dijon , France
| | - Leticia G León
- c Cancer Pharmacology Lab , AIRC Start Up Unit, University of Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Angel Acebes
- a Centre for Biomedical Research of the Canary Islands , Institute of Biomedical Technologies, University of La Laguna , Tenerife , Spain
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28
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Fujiwara E, Kube VL, Rochman D, Macrae-Korobkov AK, Peynenburg V. Visual Attention to Ambiguous Emotional Faces in Eating Disorders: Role of Alexithymia. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2017; 25:451-460. [PMID: 28762613 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Eating disorders (EDs) are often accompanied by social-emotional problems. Recently, alexithymia has been suggested to explain objective emotion processing deficits in EDs. We tested if elevated levels of alexithymia may explain emotional face-processing problems in a mixed ED group (N = 24, 19 with anorexia and five with bulimia), comparing them with high-alexithymic (N = 25) and low-alexithymic healthy controls (N = 25). Participants judged the mixture ratio of clear and ambiguous facial emotion blends while eye movements were recorded. The ED group was less accurate judging ambiguous blends containing anger or disgust and attended less to the faces compared with low-alexithymic controls. Reduced attention to faces, in particular the eye region, was linked to confusion with ambiguous anger and disgust in the ED group only. Although significant group differences only emerged compared with low-alexithymic controls, the visual attention patterns underlying the ED group's problems with subtle anger and disgust expressions were not driven by alexithymia. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Fujiwara
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.,Neuroscience and Mental Health Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Veronica L Kube
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada
| | - Daniel Rochman
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.,Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Canada
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29
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Leppanen J, Dapelo MM, Davies H, Lang K, Treasure J, Tchanturia K. Computerised analysis of facial emotion expression in eating disorders. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178972. [PMID: 28575109 PMCID: PMC5456367 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Problems with social-emotional processing are known to be an important contributor to the development and maintenance of eating disorders (EDs). Diminished facial communication of emotion has been frequently reported in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). Less is known about facial expressivity in bulimia nervosa (BN) and in people who have recovered from AN (RecAN). This study aimed to pilot the use of computerised facial expression analysis software to investigate emotion expression across the ED spectrum and recovery in a large sample of participants. Method 297 participants with AN, BN, RecAN, and healthy controls were recruited. Participants watched film clips designed to elicit happy or sad emotions, and facial expressions were then analysed using FaceReader. Results The finding mirrored those from previous work showing that healthy control and RecAN participants expressed significantly more positive emotions during the positive clip compared to the AN group. There were no differences in emotion expression during the sad film clip. Discussion These findings support the use of computerised methods to analyse emotion expression in EDs. The findings also demonstrate that reduced positive emotion expression is likely to be associated with the acute stage of AN illness, with individuals with BN showing an intermediate profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Leppanen
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marcela Marin Dapelo
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Helen Davies
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katie Lang
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Janet Treasure
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychology, Psychiatry, and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, United Kingdom
- Illia State University, Department of Psychology, Tbilisi, Georgia
- * E-mail:
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30
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Leppanen J, Cardi V, Paloyelis Y, Simmons A, Tchanturia K, Treasure J. FMRI Study of Neural Responses to Implicit Infant Emotion in Anorexia Nervosa. Front Psychol 2017; 8:780. [PMID: 28567026 PMCID: PMC5434152 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2017] [Accepted: 04/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Difficulties in social–emotional processing have been proposed to play an important role in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN). Few studies, thus far, have investigated neural processes that underlie these difficulties, including processing emotional facial expressions. However, the majority of these studies have investigated neural responses to adult emotional display, which may be confounded by elevated sensitivity to social rank and threat in AN. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the neural processes underlying implicit processing of positively and negatively valenced infant emotional display in AN. Twenty-one adult women with AN and twenty-six healthy comparison (HC) women were presented with images of positively valenced, negatively valenced, and neutral infant faces during a fMRI scan. Significant differences between the groups in positive > neutral and negative > neutral contrasts were investigated in a priori regions of interest, including the bilateral amygdala, insula, and lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC). The findings revealed that the AN participants showed relatively increased recruitment while the HC participants showed relatively reduced recruitment of the bilateral amygdala and the right dorsolateral PFC in the positive > neutral contrast. In the negative > neutral contrast, the AN group showed relatively increased recruitment of the left posterior insula while the HC groups showed relatively reduced recruitment of this region. These findings suggest that people with AN may engage in implicit prefrontal down-regulation of elevated limbic reactivity to positively social–emotional stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenni Leppanen
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondon, UK
| | - Valentina Cardi
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondon, UK
| | - Yannis Paloyelis
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondon, UK
| | - Andy Simmons
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondon, UK
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondon, UK.,Department of Psychology, Ilia State UniversityTbilisi, Georgia
| | - Janet Treasure
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondon, UK
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31
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Leppanen J, Cardi V, Ng KW, Paloyelis Y, Stein D, Tchanturia K, Treasure J. Effects of Intranasal Oxytocin on the Interpretation and Expression of Emotions in Anorexia Nervosa. J Neuroendocrinol 2017; 29. [PMID: 28140486 PMCID: PMC5363234 DOI: 10.1111/jne.12458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2016] [Revised: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 01/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Altered social-emotional functioning is considered to play an important role in the development and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN). Recently, there has been increasing interest in investigating the role of intranasal oxytocin in social-emotional processing. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of intranasal oxytocin on the interpretation and expression of emotions among people with AN. Thirty women with AN and 29 age-matched healthy women took part in the present study, which used a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. The participants received a single dose of 40 IU of intranasal oxytocin in one session and a placebo spray in the other. Fifteen minutes after administration, the participants completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test to assess the interpretation of complex emotions and mental states followed by a video task, which assessed expressions of facial affect when they were viewing humorous and sad film clips. The intranasal oxytocin did not significantly influence the expression or interpretation of emotions in the AN or healthy comparison groups. The AN group expressed significantly less positive emotion, spent more time looking away and reported experiencing a significantly more negative affect in response to the film clips. The finding that intranasal oxytocin had little to no effect on the interpretation or expression of emotions in either group supports the notion that the effects of oxytocin on social-emotional processing are not straightforward and may depend on individual and environmental differences, as well as the emotion being processed. Replication of these findings is necessary to explore the effect of timing on the effects of oxytocin before firm conclusions can be drawn. Nonetheless, these findings add to the steady accumulation of evidence that people with AN have reduced emotional expression and avoidance of emotionally provoking stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Leppanen
- Department of Psychological MedicineInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - V. Cardi
- Department of Psychological MedicineInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - K. W. Ng
- Singapore General HospitalSingaporeSingapore
| | - Y. Paloyelis
- Division of NeuroscienceDepartment of NeuroimagingThe Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - D. Stein
- Chaim Sheba Medical CenterEdmond and Lily Safra Children's HospitalTel HashomerIsrael
| | - K. Tchanturia
- Department of Psychological MedicineInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
- Department of PsychologyIlia State UniversityTbilisiGAUSA
| | - J. Treasure
- Department of Psychological MedicineInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
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32
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Sharpe E, Wallis DJ, Ridout N. The influence of variations in eating disorder-related symptoms on processing of emotional faces in a non-clinical female sample: An eye-tracking study. Psychiatry Res 2016; 240:321-327. [PMID: 27138825 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2016.04.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2015] [Revised: 04/19/2016] [Accepted: 04/20/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to: (i) determine if the attention bias towards angry faces reported in eating disorders generalises to a non-clinical sample varying in eating disorder-related symptoms; (ii) examine if the bias occurs during initial orientation or later strategic processing; and (iii) confirm previous findings of impaired facial emotion recognition in non-clinical disordered eating. Fifty-two females viewed a series of face-pairs (happy or angry paired with neutral) whilst their attentional deployment was continuously monitored using an eye-tracker. They subsequently identified the emotion portrayed in a separate series of faces. The highest (n=18) and lowest scorers (n=17) on the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI) were compared on the attention and facial emotion recognition tasks. Those with relatively high scores exhibited impaired facial emotion recognition, confirming previous findings in similar non-clinical samples. They also displayed biased attention away from emotional faces during later strategic processing, which is consistent with previously observed impairments in clinical samples. These differences were related to drive-for-thinness. Although we found no evidence of a bias towards angry faces, it is plausible that the observed impairments in emotion recognition and avoidance of emotional faces could disrupt social functioning and act as a risk factor for the development of eating disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Sharpe
- Loughborough University Centre for Eating Disorders, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK.
| | - Deborah J Wallis
- Loughborough University Centre for Eating Disorders, School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough LE11 3TU, UK.
| | - Nathan Ridout
- Department of Psychology, School of Life and Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK.
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Davies H, Wolz I, Leppanen J, Fernandez-Aranda F, Schmidt U, Tchanturia K. Facial expression to emotional stimuli in non-psychotic disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 64:252-71. [PMID: 26915928 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/17/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Facial expression of emotion is crucial to social interaction and emotion regulation; therefore, altered facial expressivity can be a contributing factor in social isolation, difficulties with emotion regulation and a target for therapy. This article provides a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature on automatic emotional facial expression in people with non-psychotic disorders compared to healthy comparison groups. Studies in the review used an emotionally salient visual induction method, and reported on automatic facial expression in response to congruent stimuli. A total of 39 studies show alterations in emotional facial expression across all included disorders, except anxiety disorders. In depression, decreases in facial expression are mainly evident for positive affect. In eating disorders, a meta-analysis showed decreased facial expressivity in response to positive and negative stimuli. Studies in autism partially support generally decreased facial expressivity in this group. The data included in this review point towards decreased facial emotional expressivity in individuals with different non-psychotic disorders. This is the first review to synthesise facial expression studies across clinical disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Davies
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - I Wolz
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge-IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain
| | - J Leppanen
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - F Fernandez-Aranda
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Bellvitge-IDIBELL, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Fisiopatologia Obesidad y Nutrición (CIBERobn), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain; Clinical Sciences Department, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Spain
| | - U Schmidt
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - K Tchanturia
- King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurosciences, London SE5 8AF, UK; Illia University, Department of Psychology, Tbilisi, Georgia.
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Abstract
The aim of this study is to evaluate the recent literature on carers/parenting interventions for people with eating disorders. Interesting and important new findings are highlighted as well as the implications that this may have for treatment. We have reviewed and critically analysed the recent literature. Close others often play an important role in recognising the early signs of eating disorders and accessing and implementing treatment. Their role in helping with recovery is to give support and hold a united front themselves and with the professional team to avoid those common interpersonal reactions that adversely impact on outcome such as accommodating to the illness and reacting with high expressed emotion (overprotection and hostility). Managing this role is difficult, and coping resources are often strained. Carers ask for and are now getting expert training in skills to manage this role. There is an overlap between carer/parenting interventions and family therapies. The interface with close others is critical both for early recognition and access and implementation of treatment. Interventions which equip families and close others with the skills to manage eating disorder behaviours are showing potential at improving outcomes.
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35
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Kucharska K, Jeschke J, Mafi R. Intact social cognitive processes in outpatients with anorexia nervosa: a pilot study. Ann Gen Psychiatry 2016; 15:24. [PMID: 27594894 PMCID: PMC5009686 DOI: 10.1186/s12991-016-0108-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2015] [Accepted: 08/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to assess social cognition in community patients suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN) compared to healthy controls. METHODS 25 women diagnosed with AN and 25 women matched for education level and age were involved in the study. Both subject groups were assessed using a set of validated experimental tasks, such as the facial expression recognition test, short recognition memory test for faces, 'Reading the mind in the eyes' test. Patients were assessed for symptoms of: eating disorder (the eating attitudes test-EAT-26), OCD (the Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale-Y-BOCS) and depression (Beck depression inventory-BDI). The research hypothesis indicated that patients suffering from anorexia represent no significant difference in social cognitive functioning in comparison to the healthy controls. These assessment scales were used to identify whether there are any problems according to social cognitive functioning especially emotion recognition and theory of mind (ToM). The primary outcome assessment was to identify social cognitive deficits in anorexic outpatients and secondary outcome was to verify whether these problems in emotional functioning found in women in acute phase of AN are state or trait effects. RESULTS Anorexic patients showed significantly higher scores on EAT-26, BDI and Y-BOCS. No significant differences were found in performance of social cognitive tests and facial perception test. DISCUSSION No marked alterations were found in social cognitive functioning in community patients with average body mass index (BMI) of 17.6. This may indicate that social cognition is a very complex construct to be reliably measured in anorexia nervosa considering relatively limited psychometric data for many social cognitive tasks. Further longitudinal studies are needed to untangle ongoing controversy whether social cognitive deficits in AN could be state or trait related.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katarzyna Kucharska
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Julia Jeschke
- Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, 9 Sobieskiego Street, 02-957 Warsaw, Poland
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