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Pappaianni E, Barona M, Doucet GE, Clark C, Frangou S, Micali N. Neurocognitive Endophenotypes for Eating Disorders: A Preliminary High-Risk Family Study. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13010099. [PMID: 36672080 PMCID: PMC9856317 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13010099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Eating disorders (EDs) are psychiatric disorders with a neurobiological basis. ED-specific neuropsychological and brain characteristics have been identified, but often in individuals in the acute phase or recovered from EDs, precluding an understanding of whether they are correlates and scars of EDs vs. predisposing factors. Although familial high-risk (FHR) studies are available across other disorders, this study design has not been used in EDs. We carried out the first FMH study in EDs, investigating healthy offspring of women with EDs and controls. We preliminarily aimed to investigate ED-related neurocognitive and brain markers that could point to predisposing factors for ED. Sixteen girls at FHR for EDs and twenty control girls (age range: 8−15), completed neuropsychological tests assessing executive functions. Girls also underwent a resting-state fMRI scan to quantify functional connectivity (FC) within resting-state networks. Girls at FHR for EDs performed worse on a cognitive flexibility task compared with controls (F = 5.53, p = 0.02). Moreover, they showed different FC compared with controls in several resting-state networks (p < 0.05 FDR-corrected). Differences identified in cognitive flexibility and in FC are in line with those identified in individuals with EDs, strongly pointing to a role as potential endophenotypes of EDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Pappaianni
- Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Eating Disorders Research Unit, Psychiatric Center Ballerup, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark
| | - Manuela Barona
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Gaelle E. Doucet
- Institute for Human Neuroscience, Boys Town National Research Hospital, Omaha, NE 68010, USA
| | - Christopher Clark
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
| | - Sophia Frangou
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada
| | - Nadia Micali
- Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark, Eating Disorders Research Unit, Psychiatric Center Ballerup, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark
- Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London WC1N 1EH, UK
- Correspondence:
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Bianco V, Veniero D, D'Acunto A, Koch G, Picazio S. Challenging inhibitory control with high- and low-calorie food: A behavioural and TMS study. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1016017. [PMID: 36908918 PMCID: PMC9992824 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1016017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Most people are often tempted by their impulses to "indulge" in high-calorie food, even if this behaviour is not consistent with their goal to control weight in the long term and might not be healthy. The outcome of this conflict is strongly dependent on inhibitory control. It has already been reported that individuals with weaker inhibitory control consume more high-calorie food, are more often unsuccessful dieters, overweight or obese compared to people with more effective inhibitory control. In the present study, we aimed at investigating inhibitory control in the context of human eating behaviour. A sample of 20 healthy normal-weight adults performed a 50% probability visual affective Go/NoGo task involving food (high- and low-calorie) and non-food images as stimuli. Single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was administered over the right primary motor cortex (M1) either 300 ms after image presentation to measure corticospinal excitability during the different stimulus categories or 300 ms after the appearance of a fixation point, as a control stimulation condition. The experimental session consisted of a food target and a non-food target block. Behavioural outcomes showed a natural implicit inclination towards high-calorie food in that participants were faster and more accurate compared to the other categories. This advantage was selectively deleted by TMS, which slowed down reaction times. MEPs did not differ according to the stimulus category, but, as expected, were bigger for Go compared to NoGo trials. Participants judged high-calorie food also as more appetising than low-calorie food images. Overall, our results point to a differential modulation when targeting inhibitory control, in favour of the more palatable food category (high-calorie). Present data suggest that the activity of the motor system is modulated by food nutritional value, being more engaged by appetising food. Future work should explore to what extent these processes are affected in patients with eating disorders and should aim to better characterise the related dynamics of cortical connectivity within the motor network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Bianco
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Domenica Veniero
- School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - Alessia D'Acunto
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy
| | - Giacomo Koch
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Human Physiology Section, Department of Neuroscience and Rehabilitation, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Silvia Picazio
- Laboratory of Experimental Neuropsychophysiology, Santa Lucia Foundation IRCCS, Rome, Italy.,Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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Thomas KS, Birch RE, Jones CRG, Vanderwert RE. Neural Correlates of Executive Functioning in Anorexia Nervosa and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:841633. [PMID: 35693540 PMCID: PMC9179647 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.841633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are commonly reported to co-occur and present with overlapping symptomatology. Executive functioning difficulties have been implicated in both mental health conditions. However, studies directly comparing these functions in AN and OCD are extremely limited. This review provides a synthesis of behavioral and neuroimaging research examining executive functioning in AN and OCD to bridge this gap in knowledge. We outline the similarities and differences in behavioral and neuroimaging findings between AN and OCD, focusing on set shifting, working memory, response inhibition, and response monitoring. This review aims to facilitate understanding of transdiagnostic correlates of executive functioning and highlights important considerations for future research. We also discuss the importance of examining both behavioral and neural markers when studying transdiagnostic correlates of executive functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai S. Thomas
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | | | - Catherine R. G. Jones
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Ross E. Vanderwert
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University Centre for Human Developmental Science, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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El Archi S, Brunault P, Ballon N, Réveillère C, Barrault S. Differential association between food craving, food addiction and eating-related characteristics in persons at risk for eating disorders. EUROPEAN REVIEW OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY-REVUE EUROPEENNE DE PSYCHOLOGIE APPLIQUEE 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.erap.2019.100513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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An ecological approach to the behavioral assessment of executive functions in anorexia nervosa. Psychiatry Res 2018; 259:283-288. [PMID: 29091830 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.10.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/21/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The use of ecological tests to assess executive functions (EFs) in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) has not examined extensively. The objective of this study was to analyze and compare the performance of patients with AN and healthy controls (HCs) on standard versus ecologically valid tests on EFs. Sixty-two females aged between 16 and 42 who were diagnosed with AN and 70 matched HCs completed 2 neuropsychological test batteries: standard tests (WCST, TMT, Stroop, ToL, fluency test) and the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS). On the standard tests, patients with AN produced more perseverative response and were slower than HCs in the TMT; in contrast, they scored as well as HCs on tasks that assessed categorization, interference in color naming, planning and semantic fluency. Conversely, there were differences in the ecological tests with patients with AN systematically slower in the resolution of complex tasks. Results demonstrated the power of ecological tests in capturing selective impairments in multifaceted and unstructured tests. Patients with AN experienced systematic deceleration in the resolution of ecological tasks. Also, the increased time needed to solve the tasks, was not reflected in overall improvement in performance. This evidence is further discussed with respect to central coherence.
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Stramaccia DF, Penolazzi B, Libardi A, Genovese A, Castelli L, Palomba D, Galfano G. Control over interfering memories in eating disorders. J Clin Exp Neuropsychol 2017; 40:30-44. [PMID: 28398162 DOI: 10.1080/13803395.2017.1313392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Recent studies have suggested that patients suffering from either anorexia nervosa (AN) or bulimia nervosa (BN) exhibit abnormal performance in the ability to control cognitive interference in response selection. METHOD We assessed the status of cognitive control in episodic memory by addressing the ability to inhibit interfering memories. To this end, we used the retrieval-practice paradigm, which allows for measuring both the beneficial and the detrimental effects of memory practice. The latter phenomenon, known as retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF), is thought to reflect an adaptive inhibitory mechanism aimed at reducing competition in memory retrieval. Twenty-seven healthy controls and 27 patients suffering from eating disorders (either AN or BN) performed a retrieval-practice paradigm and a control task addressing general reactivity and filled a self-report questionnaire on impulsivity. RESULTS No differences between patients and healthy controls were observed for the beneficial effects of practice. The same pattern also emerged for RIF. However, when patients with AN and BN were analyzed separately, a clear dissociation emerged: patients with AN displayed no hint of RIF, whereas patients with BN showed an intact memory suppression performance. No group differences emerged in the control task. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest a specific impairment in the ability to suppress interfering memories in patients with AN, thus extending current evidence of cognitive control deficits in AN to episodic memory.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Barbara Penolazzi
- b Department of Life Sciences , University of Trieste , Trieste , Italy
| | - Arianna Libardi
- a Department of Developmental and Social Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy
| | - Aldo Genovese
- c Azienda Provinciale per i Servizi Sanitari , Trento , Italy
| | - Luigi Castelli
- a Department of Developmental and Social Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy
| | - Daniela Palomba
- d Department of General Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy
| | - Giovanni Galfano
- a Department of Developmental and Social Psychology , University of Padova , Padova , Italy
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