title: Electrophysiological evidence for an attentional bias in processing body stimuli in bulimia nervosa.
abstract: Empirical evidence suggests abnormalities in the processing of body stimuli in bulimia nervosa (BN). This study investigated central markers of processing body stimuli by means of event-related potentials in BN. EEG was recorded from 20 women with BN and 20 matched healthy controls while watching and evaluating underweight, normal and overweight female body pictures. Bulimics evaluated underweight bodies as less unpleasant and overweight bodies as bigger and more arousing. A higher P2 to overweight stimuli occurred in BN only. In contrast to controls, no N2 increase to underweight bodies was observed in BN. P3 was modulated by stimulus category only in healthy controls; late slow waves to underweight bodies were more pronounced in both groups. P2 amplitudes to overweight stimuli were correlated with drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction. We present novel support for altered perceptual and cognitive-affective processing of body images in BN on the subjective and electrophysiological level.
authors: Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Ulm University, Germany. Electronic address: sandra.mai@uni-ulm.de.
authors: Sandra
authors: S
authors: Mai
authors: Department of Biopsychology and Neuroergonomics, Technical University of Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: klaus.gramann@tu-berlin.de.
authors: Klaus
authors: K
authors: Gramann
authors: Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Eberhard-Karls-University of Tuebingen, Germany. Electronic address: beate.herbert@gmx.de.
authors: Beate M
authors: BM
authors: Herbert
authors: Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; LVR Clinics Essen, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany. Electronic address: Hans-Christoph.Friederich@med.uni-heidelberg.de.
authors: Hans-Christoph
authors: HC
authors: Friederich
authors: Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Germany. Electronic address: warschb@uni-potsdam.de.
authors: Petra
authors: P
authors: Warschburger
authors: Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Ulm University, Germany. Electronic address: olga.pollatos@uni-ulm.de.
authors: Olga
authors: O
authors: Pollatos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017668:Age of Onset; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions; D005071:Evoked Potentials; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Body image; Body stimuli; Bulimia nervosa; ERP; P2; Slow positive wave