title: Affective Responses in Different Stages of Anorexia Nervosa: Results from a Startle-reflex Paradigm.
abstract: There is an evolving debate about pathological affective responses in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). We examined startle responses in different stages of AN.
  
  
  
  We applied a startle reflex paradigm with standardized visual stimuli (International Affective Pictures System; food and body pictures) in 64 female participants (17 acute AN, 16 chronically ill AN, 15 long-term recovered AN, 16 healthy controls). We measured subjective ratings of valence and anxiety, and electromyographic startle responses.
  
  
  
  Participants with acute and chronic AN displayed the same subjective valence ratings to affective stimuli but showed less startle reactivity to affective pictures (F(6, 116) = 2.75, p = .02) compared with healthy control. Food pictures were rated as more unpleasant and higher anxiety provoking by currently ill AN (F(3, 59) = 3.32, p=.03).
  
  
  
  We observed diverging subjective and psychophysiological reactions in different stages of AN. Psychophysiological methods can help to attain a more comprehensive understanding of biological alterations in the long-term course of AN. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Erdur
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Cora
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ernst von Bergmann Klinikum, Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zimmermann-Viehoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.|Quantitative Health Sciences, Outcomes Measurement Science, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, Center for Internal Medicine and Dermatology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hans-Christian
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Deter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: IAPS; anorexia nervosa; long-term course; recovery; startle reflex