Self-perception in anorexia nervosa: When the body becomes an object

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Body Perception

Background:

• Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with altered body size perception.
• Previous research shows AN patients adopt an external perspective in obstacle avoidance tasks.
• No studies have explored self-centered body-related tasks in AN.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if women with AN exhibit altered behavior in self-centered motor imagery tasks.
• To examine first-person perspective adoption in AN during imagined movements.

Main Methods:

• Eleven women with AN and 18 controls performed self-reference motor imagery tasks (Hand Laterality, Mental Motor Chronometry).
• Visual imagery control tasks were also administered.
• Performance was analyzed for strategy adoption and timing accuracy.

Main Results:

• AN participants did not use motor strategies in the Hand Laterality Task and showed altered behavior in its control.
• In the Mental Motor Chronometry Task, AN participants showed altered timing for left-hand actions.
• Control tasks did not reveal similar alterations, suggesting task-specific effects.

Conclusions:

• Women with AN display altered imagery processes, adopting a third-person perspective even in first-person tasks.
• This suggests individuals with AN objectify body stimuli.
• Altered multisensory integration or mirror self-reflection may underlie these findings.