NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PERFORMANCE IN ADOLESCENT ANOREXIA NERVOSA PATIENTS: A LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Journal Title: Acta Neuropsychologica - Year 2007, Vol 5, Issue 3
Abstract
[b]Background.[/b] Impairments of neurocognitive performance in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been reported in many studies, but no consensus has been reached. The purpose of our study was to develop a neuropsychological profile of adolescent AN patients and to determine whether or not the neuropsychological deficits are reversible with weight gain.[b]Material and methods.[/b] 23 female AN patients who satisfied DSM-IV diagnostic criteria and 25 healthy female controls, matched for age, estimated IQ and educational level, participated in the study. 16 female subjects who attained psychiatric recovery participated in the follow-up study (longitudinal data). A battery of neuropsychological assessment methods was used, including: Vocabulary and Digit Span (WAIS-R), Auditory Verbal Learning Test, subtest for long-term memory of the Choynowski Memory Scale, the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, the Benton Visual Retention Test, Diagnosis of Brain Damage, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Memory Questionnaire.[b]Results.[/b] Several neuropsychological deficits were observed in AN subjects in both the verbal and nonverbal domains. Neuropsychological functioning improved after weight recovery, with significant changes on tests of verbal and nonverbal learning, long-term visual memory and psychomotor speed. In addition, cognitive performance did not significantly correlate with depressive symptoms or BMI in either the baseline or follow-up assessments.[b]Conclusions.[/b] AN patients exhibit several neuropsychological deficits, which tend to resolve at least partially after treatment. However, this improvement does not appear to be associated with an increase in BMI, and cannot be explained by the decreased severity of self-reported depressive symptoms.
Authors and Affiliations
Anna Monika Cieślukowska, Wioletta Radziwiłłowicz
Keywords
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