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Binge-eating disorder may be distinguished by visuospatial memory deficits
Kalina T Eneva1, Susan M Murray1, Eunice Y Chen1
1Temple Eating Disorders program, Department of Psychology, Temple University, Weiss Hall, 1701 N 13th St, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Eating Behaviors
|April 12, 2017
Summary
Individuals with binge eating disorder (BED) and overweight participants show impaired visual memory retrieval. This memory deficit was observed in both normal and overweight individuals diagnosed with BED.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Clinical Research
Background:
- Binge eating disorder (BED) is frequently comorbid with overweight and obesity.
- Both loss of control eating and higher body mass index are linked to memory impairments.
- Previous research suggests impaired visuospatial abilities in overweight individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between binge eating disorder, body weight, and visual memory.
- To specifically examine visual memory recall and recognition in women with and without BED, across different weight categories.
Main Methods:
- The study involved overweight and normal-weight women diagnosed with BED and matched healthy controls.
- Participants completed the Rey Complex Figure Test, assessing visual memory through copy, immediate recall, delayed recall, and recognition.
Main Results:
- Normal-weight healthy controls outperformed all other groups in immediate and delayed visual memory recall.
- Individuals without BED performed better on recall tasks than those with BED.
- Overweight individuals performed worse on immediate recall compared to normal-weight individuals.
Conclusions:
- Visual memory retrieval appears to be impaired in individuals with BED, irrespective of weight.
- Overweight status also contributes to deficits in visual memory retrieval.
- Further research is recommended to confirm these findings using diverse memory assessment tools.