Autobiographical memory following weight gain in adult patients with Anorexia Nervosa: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) show overgeneralization of memory (OGM) when generating autobiographical episodes related to food and body shape. These memories are central for the construction of a coherent self-concept, interpersonal relationships, and problem-solving abilities. The current study aims to investigate changes in autobiographical memory following weight gain.

METHODS

OGM was assessed with an adapted version of the Autobiographical Memory Test including food-, body-, depression-related, and neutral cues. N = 41 female patients with AN (28 restricting-, 13 binge-eating/purging-subtype; mean disease duration: 4.5 years; mean BMI: 14.5 kg/m2) and N = 27 healthy controls (HC) were included at baseline. After inpatient treatment (mean duration: 11 weeks), 24 patients with AN and 24 age-matched HC were reassessed. Group differences were assessed using independent samples t-tests for cross-sectional comparisons and repeated measures ANOVAs for longitudinal data.

RESULTS

At baseline, patients with AN generated significantly fewer specific memories than HC, independent of word category (F(1.66) = 27.167, p < 0.001). During inpatient stay, the average weight gain of patients with AN was 3.1 body mass index points. At follow-up, patients with AN showed a significant improvement in the number of specific memories for both depression-related and neutral cues, but not for food- and body-related cues.

CONCLUSIONS

Generalised OGM (i.e., independent of word category) in patients with AN before weight restoration may be a general incapacity to recall autobiographical memory. After weight gain, the previously well-studied pattern of eating disorder-related OGM emerges. The clinical relevance of the continuing disorder-related OGM in patients with AN after weight gain is discussed.

Measuring an understudied factor in medical education - development and validation of the medical curiosity scale

Curiosity, which has been called the third pillar of academic achievement and positively predicts academic performance (von Stumm et al., 2011), is widely recognized as an important factor in acquiring knowledge and skills in medical training, and may be critical for students´ sound mental health. Medical educators have advocated that curiosity should play a more significant role in medical training and have criticized didactic barriers impeding student curiosity. However, in medical training, curiosity is understudied partly due to a lack of methods for measuring curiosity. Therefore, this study was designed to develop and validate a scale to measure medical curiosity. After reviewing the literature and interviewing a panel of experts (n = 7), 25 preliminary items assessing medical curiosity were developed and administered to n = 305 medical students (n = 163 female and n = 142 male) at Heidelberg University across all medical school years. Following exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with oblique (promax) rotation, we measured medical curiosity in a medical student sample. We have identified two distinct factors: intellectual medical curiosity (IMC) and social medical curiosity (SMC). IMC describes the desire to acquire medical knowledge for curiosity's sake, while SMC refers to curiosity about human nature and, in particular, patient health. Both factors showed good psychometric properties, with eigenvalues of 6.7 and 3.5, explaining 26.6% and 14.0% of the variance and internal consistencies of 0.796 and 0.866, respectively, and high convergent and discriminant validity. While first-year students showed significantly higher IMC scores than final-year medical students, SMC scores remained stable and tended to increase throughout medical school. This study has succeeded in developing the first scale to measure aspects of medical curiosity and, thus, lays the groundwork for future studies examining medical students' curiosity. A deeper understanding of medical students' curiosity can help to foster this curiosity effectively.

Exploring risk factors of drive for muscularity and muscle dysmorphia in male adolescents from a resource-limited setting in Burkina Faso

In low-income countries, Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) has only been investigated in adult south African amateur-bodybuilders. To date, there is no epidemic study about MD or its cardinal symptom "drive for muscularity" (DFM) and its impact on young men's lives in African low-income settings. We analyzed a population-representative cross-sectional study of 838 adolescent males aged 12-20 in the rural northwestern Burkina Faso. Participants were assessed for MD with the research criteria of Pope and its cardinal symptom DFM based on the DFM scale (DMS). Since DFM has not been studied in a comparable sample so far, all possible influencing variables were examined exploratively in a linear regression model. Many respondents were underweight (41.5%) and few overweight (1.3%). No-one met standard clinical MD criteria. While 60.1% of 837 wished to be more muscular, only 8.7% of 824 desired a lower body-fat percentage. Regression analysis revealed that higher DMS scores were associated with greater internalization of the muscular body ideal, going to school, living in a rural area, older age, and a history of having faced sexual harassment or assault, but not with media exposure. Our results show that levels of DMS in Burkinabe adolescents were elevated. Risk factors for DFM in environmental circumstances where undernutrition and poverty are common are discussed.

Verbal memory following weight gain in adult patients with anorexia nervosa: A longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) show a moderate deficit in overall neuropsychological functioning. Since previous studies on memory performance mainly employed cross-sectional designs, the present study aims to investigate changes in verbal memory following weight-gain.

METHODS

Verbal memory was assessed with the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R; 'logical memory'-story-recall-subtest) and the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II; 'verbal learning'). Included were 31 female patients with AN (18 restricting-, 13 purging-subtype; average disease duration: 5.1 years; average baseline BMI: 14.4 kg/m² ) and 24 medication-free normal-weight healthy women adjusted for age at baseline (T0). In a post-treatment assessment of approx. 6 weeks with weight increase (T1), 18 patients with AN and 20 healthy women were assessed again. Group differences in verbal memory (i.e., WMS-R, CVLT-II) were assessed for the baseline comparisons with a multivariate ANOVA and longitudinal data were analysed with repeated measures (RM) ANOVAs.

RESULTS

At baseline, patients with AN as compared to healthy women displayed deficits in logical memory. In the follow-up assessment, patients with AN improved their logical memory significantly compared to healthy controls (p < 0.006). Furthermore, groups did not differ in verbal learning neither before nor after inpatient treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Enhanced logical memory in patients with AN following weight-gain is probably due to the impaired memory as compared to healthy controls at T0. A survivorship bias could explain the improved memory performance in longitudinal data in contrast to cross-sectional studies. Patients with AN with poorer memory performance before inpatient treatment are at higher risk to drop out and need support.

Neurophysiological correlates of disorder-related autobiographical memory in anorexia nervosa

BACKGROUND

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by an overgeneralization of food/body-related autobiographical memories (AM). This is regarded as an emotion regulation strategy with adverse long-term effects implicated in disorder maintenance and treatment resistance. Therefore, we aimed to examine neural correlates of food/body-related AM-recall in AN.

METHODS

Twenty-nine female patients with AN and 30 medication-free age-sex-matched normal-weight healthy controls (HC) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while recalling AMs in response to food/body-related and neutral cue words. To control for general knowledge retrieval, participants engaged in a semantic generation and riser detection task.

RESULTS

In comparison to HC, patients with AN generated fewer and less specific AMs in response to food/body-related words, but not for neutral cue words. Group comparisons revealed reduced activation in regions associated with self-referential processing and memory retrieval (precuneus and angular gyrus) during the retrieval of specific food/body-related AM in patients with AN. Brain connectivity in regions associated with memory functioning and executive control was reduced in patients with AN during the retrieval of specific food/body-related AM. Finally, resting-state functional connectivity analysis revealed no differences between groups, arguing against a general underlying disconnection of brain networks implicated in memory and emotional processing in AN.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate impaired neural processing of food/body-related AM in AN, with a reduced involvement of regions involved in self-referential processing. Our findings are discussed as possible neuronal correlates of emotional avoidance in AN and provide new insights of AN-pathophysiology underscoring the importance of targeting dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies during treatment.

What do Final Year Medical Students in Germany know and think about Climate Change? - The ClimAttitude Study

Climate change (CC) is adversely affecting human health and will become far more dangerous in the future, if no substantial measures are taken. Young people in particular are taking an energetic stand for CC awareness. Some CC experts argue that medical doctors are especially well positioned to inform about the impact of CC on public health, as it is well established that they are among the most trusted members of society. However, medical doctors seem to be unsure of their role in addressing CC. This study aimed to investigate future doctors´, i.e., final year medical students´ (FYMS), attitudes towards CC and their personal role in CC education and health care. A questionnaire was developed to examine (1) the expected consequences of CC for FYMS, (2) their perceived individual responsibility, and their attitudes towards an additional (3) professional responsibility. To examine the climate-questionnaire's component correlations, we ran a factor analysis using oblique (promax) rotation and conducted a one-way ANOVA with repeated measures to compare the mean scores of the factors. Data are presented as mean ± SD or percentage, as appropriate. n = 65 FYMS (response rate: 87%) were participating and all of them completed the questionnaire. Items of the factor professional responsibility showed the lowest level of agreement (47.2 ± 21.2), while the 2 other factors showed higher levels of agreement (expected consequences (75.6 ± 18.4), individual responsibility (75.1 ± 20.6). Future doctors at Heidelberg University Hospital are well-informed about the expected health consequences of CC. They recognize human contributions to CC and make personal decisions to mitigate the impact. However, the opinion that they have a professional responsibility as physicians to patients or society in regard to CC is weaker. Specific teaching could help to change the way future doctors see their role and responsibility in tackling CC.

Medical students' mental burden and experiences of voluntary work in COVID-19 patient support and treatment services: a qualitative analysis

Aim: Medical training is undergoing a dramatic shift toward alternative training methods due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. This study is the first to examine medical students' expectations, experiences, and mental burden related to volunteering in COVID-19 patient support and treatment services using semi-structured interviews. Methods: In May 2020, all 194 Heidelberg University Medical School students involved in volunteer COVID-19 support and treatment services were invited to participate in a cross-sectional, qualitative interview study. The semi-structured interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and then analyzed using Mayring's principles for content analysis. Results: We interviewed 12 medical students (8 female, mean age 23.2 years, mean medical training 3.7 years) working in Heidelberg COVID-19 crises management services, i.e., the Heidelberg Medical Hospital COVID-19 inpatient and outpatient units. The analysis revealed two key themes: "Expectations and structural barriers" and "Experiences and mental burden". The participants reported uncertainty and apprehension before starting their voluntary work. Although they initially found volunteering to be somewhat disorganized, their roles became clearer with time. In addition, they reported good team cohesion, which helped reduce initial concerns and uncertainties. The participants also felt that working in the field had helped them maintain their professional identification while standard medical classes and bedside learning were suspended due to the COVID-19 crises. Overall, they reported little volunteer work-related mental burden. Conclusions: The participants felt that volunteering during the COVID-19 crisis had benefited their professional development. A designated liaison person, psychosocial support, and introductory and accompanying courses could help alleviate initial concerns and interim difficulties in future crisis-related assignments.

Eating disorders, body image and media exposure among adolescent girls in rural Burkina Faso

Objective

Body dissatisfaction and eating disorders (ED) among young females may increase in limited‐resource settings as exposure to media and higher‐resource cultures increases. We examined ED prevalence and its predictors among adolescent girls in rural north‐western Burkina Faso.

Methods

Fieldworkers interviewed 696 female adolescents aged 12‐20 years in the Nouna Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS). ED were evaluated using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐5 (SCID‐5), self‐perceived appearance and body ideal were measured using Thompson and Gray’s Contour Drawing Rating Scale (CDRS) and eating disorder predictors by the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE‐Q). We assessed media exposure to magazines, radio, television, and the internet.

Results

16% of respondents had a BMI below WHO age‐standardised 5th percentile, while 4% were above the 85th percentile; most respondents wanted to be larger. DSM‐5 criteria for anorexia nervosa (AN) were fulfilled by four of 696 respondents (0.6%), those for bulimia nervosa by none, and those for binge eating disorder by two (0.3%). In multivariable regression, more AN symptoms were associated with greater EDE‐Q body dissatisfaction, desiring a thinner body and a history of sexual harassment or assault, but not with media exposure. A thinner desired body was associated with greater media exposure, higher BMI z‐score and greater EDE‐Q disordered eating.

Conclusion

ED were very rare in rural Burkinabé female adolescents, but factors predictive of ED in higher‐resource settings were also predictive of ED precursor symptoms here. Our findings suggest that increasing media exposure in resource‐limited settings may lead to increased body dissatisfaction, and potentially to increased future ED prevalence.

Effects of MitraClip on cognitive and psychological function in heart failure patients: the sicker the better

Purpose

Cognitive impairment and reduced quality of life is a common condition in patients with heart failure (HF). Percutaneous mitral valve repair using (PMVR) MitraClip (MC) has emerged as a promising interventional tool, reducing all-cause mortality and hospitalization as well as increasing cognitive functioning and quality of life. However, the benefit of HF patients with severely depressed cognitive functioning remains unknown.

Methods

We assessed cognitive functioning (figural memory—FGT, executive function—TOL, TMT B), psychosocial functioning (depression—PHQ-9, quality of life—SF36), and clinical parameters (echocardiography, 6-min walk test distance, and cardiac biomarkers) 1 day before (t0) and 6 weeks after (t1) MC intervention in HF patients (n = 40). First, paired sample t tests were conducted to uncover improvements in cognitive functioning post-MC intervention. Second, the COGBAT Norm-sample, a representative age-matched healthy sample, was used to compare participants’ individual scores. Third, bivariate linear regressions were calculated for all key predictors of the detected improvements in cognitive functioning post-MC intervention (t1–t0).

Results

Following the MC intervention, we found significant improvements in figural memory, executive functioning, and psychosocial functioning. Most of the patients with depressed executive functioning before the MC intervention showed post-intervention test scores within the normal range (> 50th percentile; t0 22.5% vs. t1 60%) as compared to the normative COGBAT sample. Regression analyses revealed that lower baseline scores in planning ability before the MC intervention (t0) were associated with greater planning ability (TOL; B = − 0.78, 95% CI − 1.04 to − 0.53), figural memory (FGT; B = − 0.26, 95% CI − 0.44 to − 0.07), and cognitive flexibility (TMT B; B = − 0.36, 95% CI − 0.50 to − 0.23) improvement post-MC intervention (t1–t0). Psychosocial functioning and age were not associated with these improvements.

Conclusions

Patients with depressed executive functioning showed the greatest benefit from the MC intervention regarding cognitive functioning. Age and psychological functioning seem less important for cognitive performance improvements post-MC intervention. Hence, severely depressed cognitive functioning in patients is not a contraindication for PMVR using MitraClip.

Food-related salience processing in healthy subjects during word recognition: Fronto-parietal network activation as revealed by independent component analysis

BACKGROUND

The study aimed to isolate and localize mutually independent cognitive processes evoked during a word recognition task involving food-related and food-neutral words using independent component analysis (ICA) for continuously recorded EEG data. Recognition memory (old/new effect) involves cognitive subcomponents-familiarity and recollection-which may be temporally and spatially dissociated in the brain. Food words may evoke additional attentional salience which may interact with the old/new effect.

METHODS

Sixteen satiated female participants undertook a word recognition task consisting of an encoding phase (learning of presented words, 40 food-related and 40 food neutral) and a test phase (recognition of previously learned words and new words). Simultaneously recorded 64-channel EEG data were decomposed into mutually independent components using the Infomax algorithm in EEGLAB. The components were localized using single dipole fitting using a four-shell BESA head model. The resulting (nonartefactual) components with <15% residual variance were clustered across subjects using the kmeans algorithm resulting in five meaningful clusters localized to fronto-parietal regions. Repeated-measures anova was employed to test main effects (old/new and food relevance) and their interaction on cluster time courses.

RESULTS

Early task-relevant old/new effects were localized to the medial frontal gyrus (MFG) and later old/new effects to the right parietal regions (precuneus). Food-related (nontask-relevant) salience effects were localized to bilateral parietal regions (left precuneus and right postcentral gyrus). Food-related salience interacted with task relevance, the old/new effect in MFG being significant only for food-neutral words highlighting central the role of MFG as the converging site of endogenous and exogenous salience inputs.

CONCLUSION

Our results indicate ICA to be a valid technique to decompose complex neurophysiological signals involving multiple cognitive processes and implicate the fronto-parietal network as an important attentional network for processing salience and task demands.

Meaningful Memory in Acute Anorexia Nervosa Patients-Comparing Recall, Learning, and Recognition of Semantically Related and Semantically Unrelated Word Stimuli

OBJECTIVE

It is unclear whether observed memory impairment in anorexia nervosa (AN) depends on the semantic structure (categorized words) of material to be encoded. We aimed to investigate the processing of semantically related information in AN.

METHOD

Memory performance was assessed in a recall, learning, and recognition test in 27 adult women with AN (19 restricting, 8 binge-eating/purging subtype; average disease duration: 9.32 years) and 30 healthy controls using an extended version of the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, applying semantically related and unrelated word stimuli.

RESULTS

Short-term memory (immediate recall, learning), regardless of semantics of the words, was significantly worse in AN patients, whereas long-term memory (delayed recall, recognition) did not differ between AN patients and controls.

DISCUSSION

Semantics of stimuli do not have a better effect on memory recall in AN compared to CO. Impaired short-term versus long-term memory is discussed in relation to dysfunctional working memory in AN. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.