title: An investigation of habit learning in Anorexia Nervosa.
abstract: Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a disorder characterised by compulsive behaviour, such as self-starvation and excessive exercise, which develop in the pursuit of weight-loss. Recent theory suggests that once established, compulsive weight-loss behaviours in AN may become habitual. In two parallel studies, we measured whether individuals with AN showed a bias toward habits using two outcome-devaluation tasks. In Study 1, 23 women with AN (restrictive and binge/purge subtypes), and 18 healthy controls (HC) completed the slips-of-action paradigm, designed to assess reward-based habits. In Study 2, 13 women with restrictive AN, 14 women recovered from restrictive AN, and 17 female HC participants completed the slips-of-action paradigm, and an avoidance paradigm, designed to assess aversive habits. AN participants showed no deficit relative to HCs in the ability to use feedback to respond correctly to stimuli. Following devaluation of outcomes, all groups in both studies were equally able to withhold inappropriate responses, suggesting no deficit in the balance between goal-directed and habitual control of behaviour in these tasks in AN. These results suggest that individuals with AN do not show a generalised tendency to rely on habits in two outcome-devaluation tasks. Future research is needed to investigate the potential role of disorder-specific habits in the maintenance of behaviour in AN.
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom. Electronic address: lauren.godier@psych.ox.ac.uk.
authors: Lauren R
authors: LR
authors: Godier
authors: Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Amsterdam, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Amsterdam Brain and Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Sanne
authors: S
authors: de Wit
authors: Division of Psychiatry Research, Zucker Hillside Hospital, North Shore-LIJ Health System, Glen Oaks, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Hofstra North Shore - LIJ School of Medicine, Hempstead, NY, USA; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Anthony
authors: A
authors: Pinto
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Joanna E
authors: JE
authors: Steinglass
authors: New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Ashley L
authors: AL
authors: Greene
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom.
authors: Jessica
authors: J
authors: Scaife
authors: Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY 10003, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Site, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom.
authors: Claire M
authors: CM
authors: Gillan
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors: B Timothy
authors: BT
authors: Walsh
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA.
authors: Helen-Blair
authors: HB
authors: Simpson
authors: Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7JX, United Kingdom.
authors: Rebecca J
authors: RJ
authors: Park
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003192:Compulsive Behavior; D005260:Female; D006184:Habits; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D012201:Reward; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anorexia Nervosa; Compulsivity; Eating disorders; Goal-directed learning; Habit formation