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NCT Number: NCT07274722

Influence of Control Deprivation on the Use of the Analytical Cognitive Style in Anorexic Subjects

The use of an analytical cognitive style is a specific feature of anorexia nervosa and is thought to contribute to the maintenance of the disorder, in particular by encouraging fragmented body perception and a focus on certain parts of the body to the detriment of overall harmony and coherence. The need for control has also been described as an important element in the pathology. At the same time, some authors have shown that, outside of any pathology, recourse to the analytical cognitive style could respond to a need to restore control and, in turn, improve the feeling of control. However, at present, no causal relationship has been demonstrated between the feeling of loss of control and the analytical cognitive style in anorexia nervosa. However, such a relationship would enable us to gain a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disorder and to better target the treatment of patients.

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Key information

Conditions

Anorexia Nervosa Feeding and Eating Disorders Mental Disorders

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Centre Hospitalier Henri Laborit

Poitiers, 86000, France

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Nematollah Jaafari, Professor

CONTACT

[email protected]

+33 516 52 61 18

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Be undergoing treatment at Centre Hospitalier Laborit (CHL) or Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU) de Poitiers for an Eating Disorder (ED) of the Anorexia Nervosa type.
  • Patients must meet the diagnostic criteria for Anorexia Nervosa according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, APA, 2013), or present a sub-clinical symptomatology requiring treatment:

(A) Restriction of energy intake relative to requirements, leading to a significantly low body weight, taking into account age, sex, developmental stage, and physical health; (B) Intense fear of gaining weight or becoming fat, or persistent behavior that interferes with weight gain, even when at a significantly low weight; (C) Disturbance in the way body weight or shape is experienced, undue influence of body weight or shape on self-esteem, or persistent lack of recognition of the seriousness of the current low body weight.

Exclusion criteria

  • Objection of the referring therapist
  • Currently receiving cognitive remediation targeting mental flexibility and central coherence
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) less than 14
  • Inability to understand instructions in French
  • Visual impairment or dyslexia

Treatment and study plan

Cognitive Control Deprivation Task

Other

The investigators will measure the reaction time to the detection of a stimulus requiring analytical information processing compared with the time required to detect a stimulus requiring global information processing. These measurements will be carried out before and after a cognitive control deprivation experiment, which will be used to activate a need for control in the experimental context. The two measures will then be compared to examine the changes that occur after the deprivation of control.

Primary outcomes

  1. Reaction time

    Time frame: Baseline (before cognitive control deprivation) and immediately post-task (after cognitive control deprivation on Day 1)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Nematollah Jaafari, Professor

CONTACT

[email protected]

+33 5 16 52 61 18

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Henri Laborit

Other

Collaborators

  • Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition et l'Apprentissage

Registry information

Acronym: PriCo-SCASA

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Dec 10, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 10, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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