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Functional MRI investigation of verbal working memory in adults with anorexia nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2020

N.P. Lao-Kaim ,
V.P. Giampietro ,
S.C.R. Williams ,
A. Simmons  and
K. Tchanturia
N.P. Lao-Kaim
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, United Kingdom
V.P. Giampietro
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroimaging, SE5 8AFLondon, United Kingdom
S.C.R. Williams
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroimaging, SE5 8AFLondon, United Kingdom NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London, Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
A. Simmons
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Neuroimaging, SE5 8AFLondon, United Kingdom NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at South London, Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
K. Tchanturia*
Affiliation:
King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychological Medicine, London, United Kingdom
*
*Corresponding author. PO59, King's College London, Institute of Psychiatry, Department of Psychological Medicine, De Crespigny Park, SE5 8AF London, United Kingdom. Tel.: +44 0 207 848 0134; fax: +44 0 207 848 0182. E-mail address: kate.tchanturia@kcl.ac.uk (K. Tchanturia).
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Abstract

Literature regarding verbal working memory (vWM) in anorexia nervosa (AN) has been inconsistent due to a misunderstanding of the key components of vWM and introduction of confounding stimuli. Furthermore, there are no studies looking at how brain function in people with AN relates to vWM performance. The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with a letter n-back paradigm to study the effect of increasing vWM task difficulty on cortical functioning in the largest AN sample to date (n = 31). Although the AN group had low BMI and higher anxious and depressive symptomology compared to age-matched controls (HC), there were no between-group differences in accuracy and speed at any task difficulty. fMRI data revealed no regions exhibiting significant differences in activation when groups were compared at each difficulty separately and no regions showing group x condition interaction. Although there was a trend towards lower accuracy as duration of illness increased, this was not correlated with activity in regions associated with vWM. These findings indicate that vWM in AN is as efficient and performed using the same cognitive strategy as HC, and that there may not be a need for therapies to pursue remediation of this particular neurocognitive faculty.

Keywords

Eating disordersAnorexiaWorking memoryNeuropsychologyfMRIExecutive function
Type
Original articles
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 29 , Issue 4 , May 2014 , pp. 211 - 218
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2014

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Footnotes

1

Both authors contributed equally to the manuscript.

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