Abstract

ALVARADO SANCHEZ, Nayelli  and  SILVA GUTIERREZ, Cecilia. Executive functions and symptoms associated with eating disorders. rev.latinoam.psicol. [online]. 2014, vol.46, n.3, pp.189-197. ISSN 0120-0534.

Recent studies agree in that patients with Eating Disorders (ED) suffer from inefficiencies in Executive Functions as a consequence of the disease. In order to determine whether or not such inefficiencies make part of the endophenotype of ED-not that they result as a mere consequence of ED-69 women were evaluated: 23 diagnosed with ED, 23 with symptoms associated to ED and 23 women without any ED or risks for developing them. All participants were administered the Eating Attitude Test (EAT -40), the Interview for Diagnosis of Eating Disorders-IV (IDED -IV), the Tower of London Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. The results showed inefficiencies in executive functions-specifically in planning and cognitive flexibility for both the analogous symptoms group and the diagnosed ED group. The findings suggest that these alterations could be present prior to the establishment of the ED, and that they can actually constitute a risk factor.

Keywords : Anorexia; Bulimia; Executive Function; Planning; Cognitive flexibility.

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