Biased self-body processing in bulimia nervosa: Combining eye tracking and event-related potentials

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Bulimia nervosa (BN) is associated with altered self-body processing.
• Attentional biases are crucial in understanding these alterations.
• Previous research suggests biases in how individuals with BN process their own bodies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the robustness of attentional biases in self-body processing in females with BN.
• To compare attentional and neurophysiological responses between a BN group and a control group with low body dissatisfaction (LBD).

Main Methods:

• Utilized a combined eye-tracking and electroencephalogram (EEG) paradigm.
• Assessed overt attention orienting towards self-body images.
• Measured neurophysiological correlates during fixation on self-defined unattractive body parts.

Main Results:

• The BN group exhibited a significantly stronger attention bias towards self-defined most unattractive body parts compared to the LBD group.
• Higher number of fixations and longer fixation duration on unattractive body regions were observed in the BN group.
• EEG data revealed a higher early posterior negativity amplitude in the BN group, indicating increased emotional salience of unattractive body parts.

Conclusions:

• Findings provide evidence for biased self-body processing in individuals with bulimia nervosa.
• The results suggest heightened emotional significance and initial attention allocation towards perceived unattractive body parts in BN.
• Potential attentional avoidance and reduced later-stage processing of these body parts warrant further investigation.