Sensory modulation disorder symptoms in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa: A pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) may exhibit reduced ability to modulate sensory, physiological, and affective responses. The aim of the present study is to assess sensory modulation disorder (SMD) symptoms in patients with AN and BN.


METHODS
We assessed female adolescent and young adult inpatients with restrictive type anorexia nervosa (AN-R; n = 20) and BN (n = 20) evaluated in the acute stage of their illness, and 27 female controls. Another group of 20 inpatients with AN-R was assessed on admission and discharge, upon achieving their required weight. Participants completed standardized questionnaires assessing the severity of their eating disorder (ED) and the sensory responsiveness questionnaire (SRQ).


RESULTS
Inpatients with AN-R demonstrated elevated overall sensory over-responsiveness as well as elevated scores on the taste/gustatory, vestibular/kinesthetic and somatosensory/tactile SRQ modalities compared with patients with BN and controls. Significant correlations between the severity of sensory over-responsiveness and ED-related symptomatology were found in acutely-ill patients with AN-R and to a lesser extent, following weight restoration. Elevated sensory over-responsiveness was retained in weight-restored inpatients with AN-R. Inpatients with BN demonstrated greater sensory under-responsiveness in the intensity subscale of the SRQ, but not in the frequency and combined SRQ dimensions.


CONCLUSIONS
Female inpatients with AN-R exhibited sensory over-responsiveness both in the acute stage of their illness and following weight restoration, suggesting that sensory over-responsiveness may represent a trait related to the illness itself above and beyond the influence of malnutrition. The finding for sensory under-responsiveness in BN is less consistent.
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ayelet
A
Brand-Gothelf
School of Occupational Therapy, the Hebrew University at Jerusalem, Israel.
Shula
S
Parush
Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Yehudith
Y
Eitan
School of Occupational Therapy, the Hebrew University at Jerusalem, Israel.
Shai
S
Admoni
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.|The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Eitan
E
Gur
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.|The Edmond and Lily Safra Children's Hospital, the Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, Israel.
Daniel
D
Stein
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
anorexia nervosa; bulimia nervosa; eating disorders; sensory modulation; sensory responsiveness