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

An ecological approach to the behavioral assessment of executive functions in anorexia nervosa / Spitoni, Grazia Fernanda; Aragonaa, Massimiliano; Bevacqua, Sara; Cotugno, Armando; Antonucci, Gabriella. - In: PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH. - ISSN 0165-1781. - STAMPA. - 259:(2018), pp. 283-288. [10.1016/j.psychres.2017.10.029]

An ecological approach to the behavioral assessment of executive functions in anorexia nervosa

Spitoni, Grazia Fernanda;Bevacqua, Sara;Antonucci, Gabriella
2018

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
2018
central coherence; eating disorders; ecological validity; neuropsychological assessment; speed of processing; psychiatry and mental health; biological psychiatry
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
An ecological approach to the behavioral assessment of executive functions in anorexia nervosa / Spitoni, Grazia Fernanda; Aragonaa, Massimiliano; Bevacqua, Sara; Cotugno, Armando; Antonucci, Gabriella. - In: PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH. - ISSN 0165-1781. - STAMPA. - 259:(2018), pp. 283-288. [10.1016/j.psychres.2017.10.029]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1084874
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