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Olfactory capacity in anorexia nervosa: correlations with set-shifting ability
Anna Karavia1, Fotini Kapsali2, Fragiskos Gonidakis3
1Second Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, "Attikon" University General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 1 Rimini St, 12462, Athens, Greece. annkaravia@gmail.com.
Eating and Weight Disorders : EWD
|April 16, 2021
Summary
Adults with anorexia nervosa (AN) show impaired odor identification and cognitive flexibility. These olfactory deficits in AN correlate with reduced cognitive flexibility, suggesting a link between sensory processing and executive function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Sensory Science
Background:
- Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex eating disorder with potential neurobiological underpinnings.
- Olfactory dysfunction and cognitive impairments are reported in various psychiatric conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate olfactory capacity (odor identification and threshold) in adults with anorexia nervosa (AN).
- To explore correlations between odor identification and cognitive flexibility in individuals with AN.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study involving 39 AN patients and 60 healthy controls.
- Odor identification assessed via the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test.
- Odor threshold measured using a n-butanol staircase method.
- Cognitive flexibility evaluated using the Intra/Extra-Dimensional Set-Shift (IED) test from CANTAB.
Main Results:
- Patients with AN demonstrated significantly poorer odor identification compared to controls (p=0.001).
- No significant differences in odor threshold were observed between groups.
- Individuals with AN exhibited significantly impaired cognitive flexibility (p=0.003).
- A significant positive correlation was found between odor identification and cognitive flexibility in the AN group (p=0.01).
Conclusions:
- Olfactory capacity is altered in AN, specifically affecting qualitative aspects like odor identification, not quantitative aspects like odor threshold.
- Impaired odor identification in AN is linked to reduced cognitive flexibility.
- These findings highlight a potential relationship between sensory processing deficits and executive function in anorexia nervosa.
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