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Proactive and reactive inhibitory control in eating disorders.
Savani Bartholdy1, Samantha J Rennalls2, Claire Jacques3
1Section of Eating Disorders, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, UK.
Psychiatry Research
|July 4, 2017
Summary
Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) show enhanced proactive inhibitory control, unlike those with bulimia nervosa (BN) or binge eating disorder (BED). This enhanced proactive inhibition in AN may relate to intolerance of uncertainty.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Psychology
Background:
- Altered inhibitory control is linked to eating disorders (EDs).
- The specific impact on different types of inhibitory control across EDs remains unclear.
- This study investigates proactive and reactive motor inhibitory control in women with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED) compared to healthy controls (HC).
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare proactive and reactive inhibitory control across different eating disorder diagnoses (AN, BN, BED) and healthy controls (HC).
- To examine the relationship between self-reported inhibitory control, clinical variables, mood, anxiety, and objective measures of inhibition.
- To identify potential targets for behavioral interventions in EDs.
Main Methods:
- Ninety-four women (28 AN, 27 BN, 11 BED, 28 HC) participated.
- Neuropsychological assessment included a cued reaction time task (proactive inhibition) and a stop-signal task (reactive inhibition).
- Questionnaires measured clinical variables, mood, anxiety, and self-reported inhibitory control.
Main Results:
- No group differences were found in reactive inhibition.
- Proactive inhibition was augmented in women with AN compared to HC.
- Self-reported inhibitory control was poorer in BN and greater in AN compared to other groups, with AN's proactive inhibition linked to intolerance of uncertainty.
Conclusions:
- Proactive inhibition, not reactive inhibition, differentiates individuals with AN from HC.
- Augmented proactive inhibition in AN may be associated with intolerance of uncertainty.
- Proactive inhibition could be a therapeutic target for AN interventions, warranting further research into its link with uncertainty intolerance.
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