Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder differs from anorexia nervosa in delay discounting

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) and anorexia nervosa (AN) are primary restrictive eating disorders with differing motives but overlapping behaviors.
• Cognitive alterations are key in AN, but ARFID's cognitive profile, particularly delay discounting, is unknown.
• Understanding delay discounting in ARFID versus AN is crucial for transdiagnostic or disorder-specific treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and compare the delay discounting cognitive profiles of individuals with ARFID and AN.
• To determine if ARFID shares the reduced delay discounting characteristic of AN or exhibits a different pattern.

Main Methods:

• A computerized Delay Discounting Task was administered to 104 participants.
• Participants included individuals with ARFID (n=57), AN (n=28), and healthy controls (HC, n=19).
• Groups were compared using the delay discounting parameter (ln)k.

Main Results:

• Individuals with ARFID exhibited significantly steeper delay discounting compared to individuals with AN (p=0.026).
• This indicates that ARFID is associated with a greater preference for immediate rewards over delayed ones, unlike AN.
• No significant difference in delay discounting was found between ARFID and healthy controls (p=0.514).

Conclusions:

• Findings suggest distinct cognitive profiles for ARFID and AN, specifically in delay discounting.
• This research provides initial evidence for disorder-specific cognitive mechanisms in restrictive eating disorders.
• Further research with larger, diverse samples is needed to refine understanding and optimize tailored treatments for ARFID and AN.