Food deprivation fails to affect preoccupation with thoughts of food in anorectic patients.
OBJECTIVE
Memory for food words was used to investigate effects of hunger and satiety on information processing in acute and recovered anorectics.


METHODS
In Expt 1, recall of words related to food and unrelated to food was compared between anorectics and controls. In Expt 2, the same procedure was undertaken in recovered anorectics and controls.


METHODS
Tests were performed in each subject after starvation and after food intake.


RESULTS
When hungry, recall of food words did not differ between anorectics and controls. During satiety, however, anorectics recalled significantly more food words than controls. Recall of food unrelated words did not differ between both groups. Recall in recovered anorectics was comparable with that in acute anorectics.


CONCLUSIONS
Results indicate that cognitive processing of food stimuli does not depend on food deprivation in anorectics.
Pietrowsky
Reinhard
R
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Düsseldorf, Germany. pietrows@uni-duesseldorf.de
Krug
Rosemarie
R
Fehm
Horst L
HL
Born
Jan
J
D000208:Acute Disease; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005508:Food Deprivation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013850:Thinking