title: Psychopathological and personality traits underlie decision making in recent onset medication naïve anorexia nervosa: a pilot study.
abstract: The Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) analyzes the ability of participants to sacrifice immediate rewards in view of a long term gain. Anorexia Nervosa (AN) in addition to weight loss and body image disturbances is also characterized by the tendency to make decisions that may result in long-term negative outcomes. Studies that analyzed IGT performance in patients with AN were not consistent with each other. Fifteen adolescents with AN and 15 matched controls carried out IGT after being clinically and neuropsychologically evaluated. An interesting generalized estimating equation approach showed that four independent clinical variables, and not the group, explained IGT performances, such as blocks repetition, anxiety, psychogenic eating disorders and self transcendence. The impairment of decision making is not related to the diagnosis of AN, but it is driven by high levels of anxiety and self transcendence. Instead, some psychogenic eating disorders traits, related to illness severity, positively affected IGT performance in the whole sample. IGT impairment in AN found by prior studies could be related to these clinical features which are not always taken into account.
authors: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DISM), Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Udine, P.le Kolbe n.3, 33100 Udine, Italy.
authors: Livia
authors: L
authors: Fornasari
authors: Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors: Giorgia
authors: G
authors: Gregoraci
authors: Department of Medical and Biological Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
authors: Miriam
authors: M
authors: Isola
authors: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DISM), Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Udine, P.le Kolbe n.3, 33100 Udine, Italy.
authors: Gioia Anna
authors: GA
authors: Laura Negri
authors: Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Section of Psychiatry and Section of Clinical Psychology, InterUniversity Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences, University of Verona, Italy.
authors: Gianluca
authors: G
authors: Rambaldelli
authors: Child Neuropsychiatric Service, ASS4, Udine, Italy.
authors: Silvana
authors: S
authors: Cremaschi
authors: Child Neuropsychiatric Service, ASS4, Udine, Italy.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Faleschini
authors: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DISM), Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Udine, P.le Kolbe n.3, 33100 Udine, Italy.
authors: Francesca
authors: F
authors: Canalaz
authors: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DISM), Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Udine, P.le Kolbe n.3, 33100 Udine, Italy.
authors: Laura
authors: L
authors: Perini
authors: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DISM), Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Udine, P.le Kolbe n.3, 33100 Udine, Italy.
authors: Matteo
authors: M
authors: Balestrieri
authors: Department of Human Sciences, University of Udine, Udine, Italy; IRCCS "E. Medea" Scientific Institute, Udine, Italy.
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Fabbro
authors: Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine (DISM), Inter-University Centre for Behavioural Neurosciences (ICBN), University of Udine, P.le Kolbe n.3, 33100 Udine, Italy; IRCCS "E. Medea" Scientific Institute, Udine, Italy. Electronic address: paolo.brambilla@uniud.it.
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Brambilla
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010551:Personality; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011599:Psychopathology
keywords: Adolescence; Anorexia nervosa; Anxiety; Executive functions; Neuropsychology; Self-transcendence; Thought problems