Exploring body representation in anorexia and bulimia

Exploring the Full Body Representation in Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa

This study is testing how women with anorexia and bulimia think about their bodies by having them do tasks that involve imagining body movements.

Quick facts

• Study type: Observational
• Enrollment: 80 (estimated)
• Ages: 18 Years to 55 Years
• Sex: Female
• Sponsor: Istituto Auxologico Italiano (Academic / other)
• Locations: 1 site (Milan, MI)
• Trial ID: NCT06437002 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this trial studies

This observational study investigates how individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) mentally represent their bodies through motor imagery (MI) tasks. By assessing the differences in MI abilities between those with AN and BN, the study aims to understand the cognitive processes underlying body image distortion in these eating disorders. Participants will engage in Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC) tasks that evaluate their mental representation of body movements. The study focuses on female participants aged 18 to 55 with a diagnosis of AN, utilizing both explicit and implicit MI tasks to gather data.

Who should consider this trial

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this study are females aged 18 to 55 with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa and a BMI of 17.5 or lower.

Not a fit: Patients with motor impairments or conditions that prevent movement will not benefit from this study.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this study could enhance understanding of body image distortions in eating disorders, potentially leading to improved therapeutic approaches.

How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have explored motor imagery in eating disorders, indicating potential for success in understanding body representation, though this specific approach may be novel.

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.

Where this trial is running

Milan, MI

• istituto Auxologico italiano IRCSS — Milan, Mi, Italy (Recruiting)

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Federico Brusa, Ph.D

Conditions Anorexia Nervosa/Bulimia