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Intact general and food-specific task-switching abilities in bulimia-spectrum eating disorders
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Intact general and food-specific task-switching abilities in bulimia-spectrum eating disorders

Sophie R. Abber, Evan M. Forman, Christina E. Wierenga and Stephanie M. Manasse
Eating behaviors : an international journal, v 46, 101636
Aug 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2022.101636
Featured in Collection :   UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2022.101636View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze),  Open

Abstract

Bulimia nervosa Cognitive flexibility Task-switching
Prior work evaluating cognitive flexibility (i.e., the ability to alter behavior in response to environmental changes) in bulimia-spectrum eating disorders (BN-ED) has produced mixed findings, perhaps due to reliance on set-shifting paradigms that do not effectively isolate cognitive flexibility. Task-switching paradigms are more precise, but no study has examined task-switching in BN-ED. Further, no study has examined whether cognitive flexibility deficits in BN-ED are disorder-specific (e.g., confined to food-related responses). Thus, the present study re-evaluated cognitive flexibility in BN-ED using general and food-specific task-switching paradigms. Individuals with BN-ED (n = 28) and healthy controls (HC; n = 39) completed a cued color-shape switching task (CCSST) and a novel food-specific variation (FCCSST). We compared BN-ED and HC on switch costs (reflective of transient task-switching) and mix costs (reflective of maintenance of switching behavior). Switch and mix costs were not significantly different between BN-ED and HC in terms of either accuracy or reaction time on the CCSST or FCCSST. Findings suggest neither general nor food-specific cognitive flexibility is impaired in BN-ED. Rigidity in BN-ED (e.g., continued engagement in compensatory behaviors despite psychoeducation that these behaviors are ineffective for weight loss) may be a result of other neurocognitive impairments rather than cognitive flexibility deficits. •Individuals with bulimia-spectrum eating disorders (BN-ED) had intact task-switching ability.•BN-ED did not show differential impairment in food-specific, versus general, task-switching.•Cognitive flexibility deficits may not explain behavioral rigidity in BN-ED.

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3 citations in Web of Science
3 citations in Scopus

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UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:

#5 Gender Equality
#3 Good Health and Well-Being

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Psychiatry
Psychology, Clinical
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