title: Body schema and self-representation in patients with bulimia nervosa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Neuroimaging evidences in eating disorder (ED) patients document dysfunctional neural activity of the posterior parietal cortex, which is engaged in the representation of body schema. Yet a full neuropsychological investigation of body schema representation in ED patients is lacking. We examined mental imagery and body schema representation in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED).
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive samples of 15 BN patients and 15 BED patients were compared with two groups of 15 age-matched controls in tasks requiring body or object mental transformation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BN, but not BED patients, were selectively impaired in the mental transformation of their own body, although this deficit was not correlated with measures of body dissatisfaction. In contrast, no patient group was impaired in the mental transformation of external objects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results showed altered self-body representation in BN, but not BED patients, as the neuropsychological consequences of posterior parietal cortex dysfunctions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy, University of Udine, Udine, Italy. cosimo.urgesi@uniud.it
authors.forename: Cosimo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Urgesi
authors.forename: Livia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fornasari
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Faccio
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Perini
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mattiussi
authors.forename: Rossana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ciano
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balestrieri
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fabbro
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brambilla
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D056912:Binge-Eating Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009949:Orientation / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012649:Self Concept