Biomedical subjects

K Tchanturia

Publications and source records attributed to K Tchanturia.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

An examination of perceptual and cognitive set shifting tasks in acute anorexia nervosa and following recovery.

OBJECTIVES: People with anorexia nervosa have a broad spread of symptoms including disturbances in perception, cognition, emotions and behaviour. The aim of this study was to examine tests of executive function (in particular, perceptual and cognitive set shifting tasks) in patients with a current or past diagnosis of anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: 30 AN patients, 16 subjects recovered from anorexia nervosa (ANR) and 23 healthy controls were examined using tests of executive function (initiation tasks and perceptual and cognitive set shifting). RESULTS: The AN and ANR subjects had significantly higher perceptual and cognitive set shifting scores than the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Impaired executive function in terms of set shifting tasks could represent a vulnerability factor for AN.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Perceptual illusions in eating disorders: rigid and fluctuating styles.

This study investigated perceptual styles in anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) using a perceptual set task. We hypothesised that, consistent with personality style research. AN patients might be more rigid in style than those with BN or no eating disorder. We found that once an illusion had been established, participants with AN and BN showed more illusions than non-ED women. However, while AN patients responded rigidly, giving the same response repeatedly, BN patients were more likely to change their responses. The study suggests interesting differences to be followed up in future research. Differences in rigid and fluctuating perceptual styles may have implications for understanding the phenomenology of eating disorders, and have implications for treatment.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Future-directed thinking in eating disorders.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to examine future-directed thinking in individuals with eating disorders, given the possible role of such cognitions in the maintenance of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. METHOD: Twenty-six anorexics, 18 bulimics and 34 female controls were interviewed using the 'Future Thinking Task', assessing quantitative and qualitative aspects of positive and negative anticipated events. RESULTS: Patients with anorexia nervosa had similar levels of positive future-oriented cognitions and significantly more negative future-oriented cognitions than controls. The most common positive themes in this group concerned the social/interpersonal and leisure/pleasure domains. The negative theme most commonly mentioned by anorexics was that of their own health, followed by the social/interpersonal domain, whereas controls were most preoccupied with achievement/failure and a broad range of other issues. Bulimics had significantly fewer positive future-oriented cognitions and significantly more negative future-oriented cognitions than controls, most commonly concerning the patient's own health. CONCLUSION: In anorexia nervosa, anticipated positive future outcomes may to some extent help to maintain the disorder; however, these patients are also highly preoccupied with the possibility of negative future outcomes, i.e. a failure of recovery. Bulimia nervosa sufferers are relatively hopeless about their future. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Set shifting in anorexia nervosa: an examination before and after weight gain, in full recovery and relationship to childhood and adult OCPD traits.

Deficits in set shifting tasks are present in anorexia nervosa (AN), but it is not known whether these deficits are traits independent of current disease or nutritional status or merely a temporary consequence of starvation or psychopathology. The aims of the present study were to determine if set-shifting sub-optimal performance are state or trait-related by examining set shifting in patients with current or past AN, and the extent of association of these deficits with obsessive compulsive traits and behaviours. To achieve this we examined set shifting abilities in three groups of subjects: (a) AN patients with current illness, prior to receiving treatment (AN); (b) people with past AN currently in long term recovery (ANRec) and a healthy comparison group (HC). We also longitudinally followed up a subset for the AN group who showed weight recovery in response to in patient treatment (ANWR). We administered a group of set shifting tests, which included cognitive, perceptual and motor shifting tasks. A semi-structured interview was obtained to ascertain obsessive compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) traits as a child and adult. Set-shifting difficulties were observed in the AN group, but to a lesser extent in the ANRec group. In the AN group these difficulties did not show any improvement follow re-testing after weight recovery. Performance on set shifting tasks was associated with childhood rigidity and inflexibility. Some aspects of set shifting sub-optimal performance in AN appear to be a trait rather than a state marker.

Adult↗