Abstract
ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to explore cognitive flexibility in a large dataset of people with Eating Disorders and Healthy Controls (HC) and to see how patient characteristics (body mass index [BMI] and length of illness) are related to this thinking style.MethodsA dataset was constructed from our previous studies using a conceptual shift test - the Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test. 601 participants were included, 215 patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) (96 inpatients; 119 outpatients), 69 patients with Bulimia Nervosa (BN), 29 Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (EDNOS), 72 in long-term recovery from AN (Rec AN) and a comparison group of 216 HC.ResultsThe AN and EDNOS groups had significantly more errors than the other groups on the Brixton Test. In comparison to the HC group, the effect size decrement was large for AN patients receiving inpatient treatment and moderate for AN outpatients.ConclusionsThese findings confirm that patients with AN have poor cognitive flexibility. Severity of illness measured by length of illness does not fully explain the lack of flexibility and supports the trait nature of inflexibility in people with AN.
Highlights
In neuropsychological studies of anorexia nervosa (AN), two main characteristics have emerged across different studies
We focused on the Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test, which was used in a number of studies we have conducted using cohorts recruited from different settings: inpatients outpatients (Harrison et al [submitted]; Schmidt et al [submitted] and Davies et al [unpublished]), mixed inpatient and outpatient, and a mixed outpatient and community sample
Bonferroni corrected post-hoc tests revealed that the Healthy Controls (HC) (p = 0.04) and AN groups (p = 0.03) were significantly younger than the recovered AN group
Summary
In neuropsychological studies of anorexia nervosa (AN), two main characteristics have emerged across different studies. These questions are important in understanding aspects of the illness, such as differences in cognitive characteristics between diagnostic categories and whether cognitive flexibility is a state or trait phenomenon, or a marker of severity. To address these questions, we focused on the Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test, which was used in a number of studies we have conducted using cohorts recruited from different settings: inpatients (published: [5], [6], [7]) outpatients (Harrison et al [submitted]; Schmidt et al [submitted] and Davies et al [unpublished]), mixed inpatient and outpatient (published: [8]), and a mixed outpatient and community sample (published: [9]). The advantage of joining these various datasets together was to provide greater statistical power and a range of severity of illness
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
