title: Body checking as a behavioral link: a preliminary study assessing inhibition and its association to idiosyncratic body checking in anorexia nervosa.
abstract: Body checking (BC) is a behavioral feature of anorexia nervosa (AN), which is also present in obsessive-compulsive (OC) disorders. This study assessed whether increased body checking in AN patients correlated with deficits in cognitive inhibition. A battery of neuropsychological tests (the Ravello Profile), OC disorder measures, and the Body Checking Questionnaire (BCQ) were administered to nine adolescent females being treated for AN at an in-patient hospital in Scotland, UK. Neuropsychological measures were assessed using composite variables. Body Checking prevalence was split into high and low category to compare across groups. A negative relationship between cognitive inhibition and idiosyncratic body checking was evident. Clinically, increased body-checking symptoms were related to OC symptoms. These findings provide preliminary evidence that idiosyncratic body checking in AN patients may indicate a similar neuropsychological profile found in those with checking behaviors in OCD patients.
authors.affiliation: George Mason University, David King Hall, Room 086, 4400 University Drive, MSN 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA; Huntercombe Hospital Edinburgh, Binny Estate, Ecclesmachan Road, Uphall EH52 6NL, UK. Electronic address: lbreitha@gmu.edu.
authors.forename: Lauren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Breithaupt
authors.affiliation: Huntercombe Hospital Edinburgh, Binny Estate, Ecclesmachan Road, Uphall EH52 6NL, UK.
authors.forename: Hannah Austin
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Payne
authors.affiliation: Huntercombe Group, Emerson Court, Alderley Road, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 1NX, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rose
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012606:Scotland; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Body checking; Inhibition