Exploring the Full Body Representation in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

Launched by ISTITUTO AUXOLOGICO ITALIANO · May 30, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is exploring how individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) think about their bodies. Researchers want to understand how these patients mentally visualize their body movements, a process known as motor imagery. The study aims to find out if people with AN have more difficulty with this mental visualization compared to those with BN, as individuals with AN often have a more distorted body image due to severe malnourishment. This information could help in developing better treatment programs for these eating disorders.

To participate in the trial, women aged 18 to 55 who have been diagnosed with either AN or BN can apply. Participants must be right-handed and meet specific health criteria, such as having a low body mass index (BMI) for AN or a BMI at either extreme for BN. The study excludes individuals with certain medical conditions that could affect their ability to participate. Those who join can expect to take part in tasks that assess their body image and movement perception. Overall, this research could provide valuable insights into how these disorders affect one’s mental image of their body, which is crucial for effective treatment.

Gender

FEMALE

Eligibility criteria

• • People affected by AN
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Female;
• • age between 18 and 55 years old;
• • diagnosis of AN (restrictive and binge-purging type\*), as per DSM V criteria (APA, 2013);
• • BMI ≤ 17,5 Kg/m2;
• • right-handed (i.e. Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) (Veale, 2014)).
• • Restricting type: During the last 3 months, the individual has not engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating or purging behaviour (i.e. self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas). This subtype describes presentations in which weight loss is accomplished primarily through dieting, fasting, and/or excessive exercise.
• • Binge-eating/purging type: During the last 3 months, the individual has engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating or purging behaviour (i.e. self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas).
• Exclusion criteria:
• • presence of motor impairments, such as: motor disorders, broken limbs, inability to move, amputation of limbs, etc... because of the nature of the tasks - see the section Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC) Task Hands and Feet and Whole Body;
• • presence of neurological deficits, motor disorders, or somatosensory perception disorders (e.g. peripheral neuropathy); previous head injury;
• • schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other psychotic disorders on an acute phase;
• • pregnancy;
• • heavy use of medication because of acute symptoms.
• • People affected by BN
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • female;
• • age between 18 and 55 years old;
• • diagnosis of BN, as per DSM V criteria (APA, 2013);
• • BMI ≤ 17,5 Kg/m2 or BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2;
• • right-handed (i.e. EHI (Veale, 2014)).
• Exclusion criteria:
• • presence of motor impairments, such as: motor disorders, broken limbs, inability to move, amputation of limbs, etc... because of the nature of the tasks - see the section Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC) Task Hands and Feet and Whole Body;
• • presence of neurological deficits, motor disorders, or somatosensory perception disorders (e.g. peripheral neuropathy); previous head injury;
• • schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other psychotic disorders on an acute phase;
• • pregnancy;
• • heavy use of medication because of acute symptoms.
• • HCs - enrolled voluntarily
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • female;
• • age between 18 and 55 years old;
• • right-handed (i.e. EHI (Veale, 2014)).
• Exclusion criteria:
• • history of eating disorders or obesity in the past 5 years and currently;
• • BMI ≤ 17,5 Kg/m2 or BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2;
• • presence of motor impairments, such as: motor disorders, broken limbs, inability to move, amputation of limbs, etc... because of the nature of the tasks - see the section Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC) Task Hands and Feet and Whole Body;
• • presence of neurological deficits, motor disorders, or somatosensory perception disorders (e.g. peripheral neuropathy); previous head injury;
• • schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other psychotic disorders on an acute phase;
• • pregnancy;
• • heavy use of medication because of acute symptoms.
• • Comparability between the four groups (AN restrictive vs AN binge-purging vs BN vs HCs) in terms of age and education will be guaranteed.