Assessment of test-meal induced autonomic arousal in anorexic, bulimic and control females

Abstract

This study attempted to measure three different physiological responses to food intake in eating disordered subjects. Skin conductance level (SCL), heart rate and electroencephalogram were recorded before, during and after a test-meal in 42 females (14 anorexic inpatients, 10 bulimic outpatients and 18 control subjects). Significant increase in SCL during the meal was found in anorexics only. Pre-meal SCL was lower in bulimics than in controls and anorexics. No changes were found on heart rate or electroencephalogram in all groups of subjects. This suggests that anorexic inpatients may display a measurable arousal when confronted with a meal, whereas bulimic outpatients and control subjects do not. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.