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Errors as a Means of Reducing Impulsive Food Choice

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Control over interfering memories in eating disorders.

Davide Francesco Stramaccia¹, Barbara Penolazzi², Arianna Libardi¹

¹a Department of Developmental and Social Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy.

Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology

|April 12, 2017

Summary

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) show impaired memory suppression, unlike those with bulimia nervosa (BN). This study highlights a specific cognitive control deficit in episodic memory for AN patients, impacting their ability to inhibit interfering memories.

Keywords:

Anorexia nervosa Bulimia nervosa Cognitive control Eating disorders Memory suppression Retrieval-induced forgetting

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Clinical Psychology
Neuropsychology

Background:

Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), are associated with cognitive control deficits.
Previous research suggests difficulties in controlling cognitive interference during response selection in AN and BN patients.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate cognitive control in episodic memory, specifically the ability to inhibit interfering memories.
To examine retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) as a measure of memory inhibition in patients with eating disorders.

Main Methods:

Employed the retrieval-practice paradigm to assess both beneficial and detrimental effects of memory practice.
Included 27 healthy controls and 27 patients with AN or BN.
Administered a control task for general reactivity and an impulsivity questionnaire.

Main Results:

No significant differences were found between patients and controls in the beneficial effects of practice or in retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) when groups were combined.
Analysis of AN and BN patients separately revealed that AN patients showed no evidence of RIF, indicating impaired memory suppression.
BN patients demonstrated intact memory suppression performance, with no group differences in the control task.

Conclusions:

Patients with anorexia nervosa exhibit a specific impairment in suppressing interfering episodic memories.
This finding extends the understanding of cognitive control deficits in AN to the domain of episodic memory.
Bulimia nervosa patients, in contrast, appear to maintain intact memory suppression abilities.