The neuropsychological functioning of children and adolescents with anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a type of eating disorder that involves restricting eating due to an intense fear of becoming fat, despite being underweight. AN has also been associated with a number of neuropsychological, or cognitive, weaknesses. Such weaknesses include nonverbal (e.g., visual) reasoning, attention and processing speed, memory, and higher-level thinking (e.g., planning, organization, and shifting between tasks). Compared to research in adults, there is relatively less research studying AN in children and adolescents, especially when examining their neuropsychological functioning. There are also conflicting results regarding their neuropsychological strengths and weaknesses, which may be due to studies using inconsistent methods. To address both issues, the current study examined the neuropsychological functioning of children and adolescents hospitalized for treatment of AN, while using methods similar to Bayless et al. (2002) and Remberk, Namysłowska, KrempaKowalewska, Gadaś, and Skalska (2011).

Results from the current study showed verbal abstract reasoning was higher than nonverbal reasoning, working memory, and processing speed. With other domains, verbal memory was almost statistically higher than nonverbal memory. There were also relationships seen between individual neuropsychological test scores and participants’ clinical data (e.g., the age of onset of AN and duration of illness). There was also a relationship found between the participants’ body mass and their sense of feeling alienated from themselves. The article also discussed ways to more effectively treat youth with AN, such as using strategies to improve their cognitive weaknesses.