Body schema and self-representation in patients with bulimia nervosa

Neuroimaging evidences in eating disorder (ED) patients document dysfunctional neural activity of the posterior parietal cortex, which is engaged in the representation of body schema. Yet a full neuropsychological investigation of body schema representation in ED patients is lacking. We examined mental imagery and body schema representation in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED).

Consecutive samples of 15 BN patients and 15 BED patients were compared with two groups of 15 age-matched controls in tasks requiring body or object mental transformation.

BN, but not BED patients, were selectively impaired in the mental transformation of their own body, although this deficit was not correlated with measures of body dissatisfaction. In contrast, no patient group was impaired in the mental transformation of external objects.

Results showed altered self-body representation in BN, but not BED patients, as the neuropsychological consequences of posterior parietal cortex dysfunctions.