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Anorexia, bulimia, and obesity: Shared decision making deficits on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 April 2010

AMY BROGAN ,
DAVID HEVEY  and
RICCARDO PIGNATTI
AMY BROGAN*
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
DAVID HEVEY
Affiliation:
School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
RICCARDO PIGNATTI
Affiliation:
Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Neuropsychology Unit, Piancavallo (VB), Italy
*
*Correspondence and reprint requests to: Amy Brogan, School of Psychology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. E-mail: broganam@tcd.ie
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Abstract

The pathological eating behaviors in Anorexia Nervosa (AN), Bulimia Nervosa (BN), and obesity are characterized by a preference for high immediate reward, despite higher future losses in terms of both physical and psychological outcomes. The present study compared the decision making profile of females with a diagnosis of AN (n = 22), BN (n = 17), obesity (n = 18), and a healthy weight comparison group (n = 20) using a standardized neuropsychological test, the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). The three clinical groups (AN, BN, obesity) were significantly impaired on the IGT compared with the comparison group on both overall task performance and task learning; however, the three clinical groups were not significantly different from each other. Sixty-one percent to 77% of the clinical groups reached the threshold for impairment on the IGT, compared with 15% of the comparison group. The potential basis for this shared decision making profile is discussed. (JINS, 2010, 16, 711–715.)

Keywords

NeuropsychologyPrefrontal cortexCognitionChoice behaviorRewardEating disorders
Type
Brief Communications
Information
Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society , Volume 16 , Issue 4 , July 2010 , pp. 711 - 715
Copyright
Copyright © The International Neuropsychological Society 2010

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