An ecological approach to the behavioral assessment of executive functions in anorexia nervosa

Psychiatry Research
Grazia Fernanda SpitoniGabriella Antonucci

Abstract

The use of ecological tests to assess executive functions (EFs) in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) has not examined extensively. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the performance of patients with AN and healthy controls (HCs) on standard versus ecologically valid tests on EFs. Sixty-two females aged between 16 and 42 who were diagnosed with AN and 70 matched HCs completed 2 neuropsychological test batteries: standard tests (WCST, TMT, Stroop, ToL, fluency test) and the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS). On the standard tests, patients with AN produced more perseverative response and were slower than HCs in the TMT; in contrast, they scored as well as HCs on tasks that assessed categorization, interference in color naming, planning and semantic fluency. Conversely, there were differences in the ecological tests with patients with AN systematically slower in the resolution of complex tasks. Results demonstrated the power of ecological tests in capturing selective impairments in multifaceted and unstructured tests. Patients with AN experienced systematic deceleration in the resolution of ecological tasks. Also, the increased time needed to solve the tasks, was not reflected in overall i...Continue Reading

Citations

Nov 10, 2018·PloS One·Irene Alice Chicchi GiglioliMariano Alcañiz Raya
Aug 9, 2020·Eating and Weight Disorders : EWD·Niki HayatbiniMadiha N Ali
Aug 29, 2021·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·Kristin StedalRonny Scherer

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Anorexia Nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric condition characterized by severe weight loss and secondary problems associated with malnutrition. Here is the latest research on AN.

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