Handedness differences in body image distortion and eating disorder symptomatology

Abstract

The results indicate that strong degrees of handedness are associated with deficits in accurate representation of body image and with increased eating disorder symptomatology in a nonclinical sample. Implications for research into the neural bases of eating disorders are discussed.

Individual Differences in Ambiguous-Figure Perception: Degree of Handedness and Interhemispheric Interaction

“…These results extend previous findings that mixed-handedness is associated with an increased ability to update pre-existing bodily (Christman et al 2007a;Niebauer et al 2002) and conceptual (Christman et al 2008;Jasper and Christman 2005; representations to handedness differences in the updating of perceptual representations. These results have been interpreted in terms of the interaction between left-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the maintenance of pre-existing representations and right-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the updating of such pre-existing representations (eg Ramachandran 1995).…”

Individual Differences in Ambiguous-Figure Perception: Degree of Handedness and Interhemispheric Interaction

“…These results extend previous findings that mixed-handedness is associated with an increased ability to update pre-existing bodily (Christman et al 2007a;Niebauer et al 2002) and conceptual (Christman et al 2008;Jasper and Christman 2005; representations to handedness differences in the updating of perceptual representations. These results have been interpreted in terms of the interaction between left-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the maintenance of pre-existing representations and right-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the updating of such pre-existing representations (eg Ramachandran 1995).…”

When do anorexic patients perceive their body as too fat? Aggravating and ameliorating factors

“…The left-hemispheric bias in body distortions that we observed after negative self-relevant primes confirms PSI theory’s assumption and related findings ([15], [39], [40]) suggesting that these patients function under a self-control executive mode, which maintains unrealistic images ("introjects") of one’s own body size ([16], [52]). Negative beliefs related to the body should be relevant for all persons worried about their own body image but be especially critical for anorexic patients.…”

Facilitate Insight by Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

“…This prediction is based on evidence that the right ATL is an area associated with insight [12] , [13] and novel meaning [14] and that inhibition of the left ATL is associated with emergence of certain cognitive skills and a less top-down or hypothesis driven cognitive style [9] , [15] , [16] , [17] . More generally, it is consistent with evidence that the left hemisphere is involved in the maintenance of existing hypotheses and representations [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , while the right hemisphere is associated with novelty and with updating hypotheses and representations [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] . We elaborate further on this in the Discussion .…”

Individual Differences in Ambiguous-Figure Perception: Degree of Handedness and Interhemispheric Interaction

“…These results extend previous findings that mixed-handedness is associated with an increased ability to update pre-existing bodily (Christman et al 2007a;Niebauer et al 2002) and conceptual (Christman et al 2008;Jasper and Christman 2005; representations to handedness differences in the updating of perceptual representations. These results have been interpreted in terms of the interaction between left-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the maintenance of pre-existing representations and right-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the updating of such pre-existing representations (eg Ramachandran 1995).…”

When do anorexic patients perceive their body as too fat? Aggravating and ameliorating factors

“…The left-hemispheric bias in body distortions that we observed after negative self-relevant primes confirms PSI theory’s assumption and related findings ([15], [39], [40]) suggesting that these patients function under a self-control executive mode, which maintains unrealistic images ("introjects") of one’s own body size ([16], [52]). Negative beliefs related to the body should be relevant for all persons worried about their own body image but be especially critical for anorexic patients.…”

Facilitate Insight by Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

“…This prediction is based on evidence that the right ATL is an area associated with insight [12] , [13] and novel meaning [14] and that inhibition of the left ATL is associated with emergence of certain cognitive skills and a less top-down or hypothesis driven cognitive style [9] , [15] , [16] , [17] . More generally, it is consistent with evidence that the left hemisphere is involved in the maintenance of existing hypotheses and representations [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , while the right hemisphere is associated with novelty and with updating hypotheses and representations [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] . We elaborate further on this in the Discussion .…”

Individual Differences in Ambiguous-Figure Perception: Degree of Handedness and Interhemispheric Interaction

“…These results extend previous findings that mixed-handedness is associated with an increased ability to update pre-existing bodily (Christman et al 2007a;Niebauer et al 2002) and conceptual (Christman et al 2008;Jasper and Christman 2005; representations to handedness differences in the updating of perceptual representations. These results have been interpreted in terms of the interaction between left-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the maintenance of pre-existing representations and right-hemisphere-based mechanisms for the updating of such pre-existing representations (eg Ramachandran 1995).…”

When do anorexic patients perceive their body as too fat? Aggravating and ameliorating factors

“…The left-hemispheric bias in body distortions that we observed after negative self-relevant primes confirms PSI theory’s assumption and related findings ([15], [39], [40]) suggesting that these patients function under a self-control executive mode, which maintains unrealistic images ("introjects") of one’s own body size ([16], [52]). Negative beliefs related to the body should be relevant for all persons worried about their own body image but be especially critical for anorexic patients.…”

Facilitate Insight by Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation

“…This prediction is based on evidence that the right ATL is an area associated with insight [12] , [13] and novel meaning [14] and that inhibition of the left ATL is associated with emergence of certain cognitive skills and a less top-down or hypothesis driven cognitive style [9] , [15] , [16] , [17] . More generally, it is consistent with evidence that the left hemisphere is involved in the maintenance of existing hypotheses and representations [18] , [19] , [20] , [21] , while the right hemisphere is associated with novelty and with updating hypotheses and representations [22] , [23] , [24] , [25] , [26] . We elaborate further on this in the Discussion .…”