The influence of mood and attitudes towards eating on cognitive and autobiographical memory flexibility in female university students

Abstract

Cognitive flexibility, as measured through set-shifting ability, appears to be impaired in patients with eating disorders (EDs). Thus, it is important to determine if the switching deficit seen in clinical eating disorders generalizes to participants with a subclinical disordered eating. Another deficit manifested by clinical and subclinical disordered eating is the ability to retrieve specific autobiographical memories. It is possible that deficits in autobiographical memory retrieval extends to the ability to shift between retrieving specific versus general autobiographical memory information, a function important for problem -solving and emotion regulation. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to determine whether deficits in set-shifting are evident in a non-clinical sample of female university students with eating concerns, and whether inflexibility is also manifested in autobiographical memory retrieval. Sixty-nine female undergraduate students completed a measure of autobiographical memory flexibility, a set-shifting task (Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test) and measures of mood, ruminative thinking, and eating habits. After controlling for mood and rumination, bulimic traits predicted set-shifting ability and flexibility in autobiographical memory retrieval. Thus, flexibility deficits appear to manifest at the subclinical level, are evident in different domains, and appear to be related to bulimic traits, such as binge eating.

Is the Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test sensitive to frontal dysfunction? Evidence from patients with frontal and posterior lesions

“…The Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test (Burgess & Shallice, 1996) is regarded to be a measure of frontal executive function and is widely used in Europe in clinical practice (Lezak, Howieson, Bigler, & Tranel, 2012) and research (Bagshaw, Gray, & Snowden, 2014;Bayliss & Roodenrys, 2000;Cammisuli & Sportiello, 2017;Darcy et al, 2012;Hornberger et al, 2010;Lough et al, 2006;Lounes, Khan, & Tchanturia, 2011;Mang, Ridout, & Dritschel, 2018;McGuinness, Barrett, McIlvenna, Passmore, & Shorter, 2015;Primativo et al, 2017;Reay, Hamilton, Kennedy, & Scholey, 2006;Staios et al, 2013). The test requires participants to predict the location of a coloured dot as it moves over successive pages according to nine underlying rule occurrences.…”

Association of executive function problems and disordered eating behaviours in teens with type 1 diabetes

“…Previous research in the general population has shown that executive function problems are associated with subclinical disordered eating behaviours 13,14,24,25 and clinical eating disorders 15,26 . In particular, studies have shown that problems in the specific domains of set‐shifting and emotional control are associated with disordered eating behaviours and eating disorders 13,14,16 . Set‐shifting refers to a person's ‘ability to move freely from one situation, activity, or aspect of a problem to another, as the circumstances demand’ 27 .…”

“…Previous research in the general population has suggested that problems with executive function are associated with disordered eating behaviours 13,14 and clinical eating disorders 15,16 . However, there is limited research about this association in persons with type 1 diabetes, especially in the vulnerable adolescent age group 17 .…”

Inhibitory control and ability to maintain response in obesity and binge eating disorder

“…Several authors have reported that the EFs of individuals with BED, seem to be weak [5,8,[29][30][31][32][33][34].…”