Lead author of the study, Professor Konstantine Zakzanis from the University of Toronto, analyzed the results of 27 studies that included data from a total of 608 anorexia nervosa sufferers, and 14 studies that included 347 bulimia nervosa sufferers. Professor Zakzanis reviewed data from these studies to identify any consistent patterns in cognitive deficits.
Professor Zakzanis commented: "Over the last 30 years, many psychological studies have tested people with anorexia or bulimia on tasks such as decision making, verbal memory and reaction times and have found that people with eating disorders perform worse than people who don't have an eating disorder. ... In this overview we found consistent results that people with anorexia and bulimia have significant problems with some cognitive processes, and as sufferers' body mass decreased, the severity of their cognitive impairments increased."
Overall, individuals suffering from anorexia were found to have the most difficulty with mental tasks, especially those involving spatial perception and representation. Some experts think that this particular impairment could help explain why anorexics experience distorted body image. Sufferers of bulimia were less impaired, but showed particular impairment in impulsivity.
Professor Zakzanis commented on these findings: "These results tell us that people with eating disorders have particular patterns of cognitive deficits. However, at this stage we do not know whether these deficits are a result of abnormal eating patterns, malnutrition for example, or whether these cognitive deficits result in, or affect the progression of eating disorders. ... If cognitive deficits are behind eating disorders this could help us to understand why certain people are affected and could help us to develop future psychological treatments."
(Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com)
Labels: eating disorder, university of toronto
Posted By: Aspen Education Group