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Completed

NCT Number: NCT02538796

The Embodied Cognition: Exploratory Study of Automatic and Controlled Processes in Anorexia Nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a common psychiatric illness, with severe prognosis (5% mortality) that has changed little over in half a century. One of the forms is the restrictive anorexia nervosa (ANR). It consists of a phobia of weight gain and food with a massive food restriction. This pathology is studied in psychology but not using the theories of embodied cognition in which "perception and action" interact through sensorimotor processes. They are the source of attitudes (unconscious) towards certain stimuli and influence our interpretation (conscious).

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Key information

Age range

18 year–36 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

CHU de SAINT-ETIENNE

Saint-Etienne, 42000, France

About this study

The investigators hypothesis is that food restriction behavior is the result of two processes. One automatic and not conscious, which is an attraction toward food and manifests itself in the motivational attitudes of approach, and the other controlled and conscious, which prevents attraction to this type of stimuli and is manifested by motivational attitudes avoidance. These processes of attraction and avoidance are observed in embodied cognition paradigms because the answers induce movement of approach or avoidance of stimuli. The validation of these assumptions could lead to reconsideration of the respective roles of automatic and controlled processes in food behaviors of anorexics patients and to complete or refocus psychological techniques of care.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

for patients:

  • Restrictive anorexia nervosa according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Text Revision (DSM IV-TR)
  • BMI> 16 to avoid the effects of undernutrition
  • Start disorders <10 years
  • Right handed
  • Having given free and informed consent prior to study participation
  • Subject affiliated to the French National Health Insurance

Inclusion criteria

for control group:

  • BMI between 18,5 and 25
  • Right handed
  • Of school level paired in that of the patients (+/-1 the year)
  • Having given free and informed consent prior to study participation
  • Subject affiliated to the French National Health Insurance

Exclusion criteria

for patients and control group:

  • Patients with at the beginning or during the study form of purgative anorexia nervosa
  • Control with disorders of current or past eating behavior.
  • Control making a restrictive diet during the study period
  • Participants with depressive table
  • Participants with a somatic problem restricted movement or a problem of uncorrected visual acuity annoying reading of the screen.

Treatment and study plan

TEA + Grober Test + Task 1 + Grober Test

Other

The Test of Everyday Attention (TEA) measures the reaction time of the participant during the occurrence of an expected stimulus.

The Grober Test with 16 words to learn and to remember, measures the episodic verbal memory long term.

The Task 1 consists of a stimulus that moves on the screen. The response of the patient is done on the keyboard. It is composed on two conditions: one is fast (without conscious), the other consists in assessing words (conscious). It includes food and non-food words.

TEA + Grober Test + Task 2 + Grober Test

Other

The TEA measures the reaction time of the participant during the occurrence of an expected stimulus.

The Grober Test with 16 words to learn and to remember, measures the episodic verbal memory long term.

The Task 2 consists of a stimulus that is fixed on the screen. The response of the patient is done by pushing or pulling a lever. It is composed on two conditions: one is fast (without conscious), the other consists in assessing words (conscious). It includes food and non-food words.

TEA + Grober Test + Implicit Task 3 + Grober Test

Other

The TEA measures the reaction time of the participant during the occurrence of an expected stimulus.

The Grober Test with 16 words to learn and to remember, measures the episodic verbal memory long term.

The Task 3 is a compilation of tasks 1 and 2 to investigate the bidirectional link. The instructions are implicit condition to detect an A in the word ("yes-no" answer).

TEA + Grober Test + Explicit Task 3 + Grober Test

Other

The TEA measures the reaction time of the participant during the occurrence of an expected stimulus.

The Grober Test with 16 words to learn and to remember, measures the episodic verbal memory long term.

The Task 3 is a compilation of tasks 1 and 2 to investigate the bidirectional link. The instructions are explicit condition to judge the emotional value of words ("positive-negative" answer).

Primary outcomes

  1. Response time (ms) in the different conditions of the three tasks (composite measure)

    Time frame: Day 1

    Tasks are:

    • tap a key on the computer keyboard during the presentation of food and non-food words containing an "A" on a computer screen
    • pull a lever towards you at the presentation of food and non-food words on a computer screen
    • pull a lever towards you at the presentation of food and non-food words that approach on a computer screen

Secondary outcomes

  1. BMI in kg/m²

    Time frame: Day 1

    The Body Mass Index (BMI) is defined as the body mass divided by the square of the body height.

  2. Rate of wrong answers

    Time frame: Day 1

    It is the rate of wrong answers in the different conditions of the three tasks.

  3. Score EDI-2

    Time frame: Day 1

    The Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) is a self-report questionnaire used to assess the presence of eating disorders.

  4. Silhouettes test score

    Time frame: Day 1

    The patient selects among several silhouettes a silhouette to represent her real body image and her ideal body image.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Saint Etienne

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Embodied Cognition: Exploratory Study of Automatic and Controlled Processes in Anorexia Nervosa. A Monocentric Study

Important dates

Study start
2011
Primary completion
2016
Study completion
2016
First posted
Sep 2, 2015
Registry last updated
Mar 10, 2016

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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