The impact of Anorexia Nervosa on Autobiographical Memory Flexibility
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Impact of Anorexia Nervosa on Autobiographical Memory Flexibility in female adolescents
IRAS ID
238378
Contact name
Hubert Lacey
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newbridge House
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Autobiographical memory, the ability to retrieve memories of specific events from one’s past, is vital for a sense-of-self and also underpins successful emotion regulation and problem solving. However, the ability to switch between the retrieval of specific, highly contextualised events and general memories, or summaries of events, to meet current goals might be a more important function. Underlying cognitive functions of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) have been extensively examined, focusing on set-shifting, i.e. the ability to shift between thoughts, activities and behaviours. A recent publication exploring the impact of weight and shape concerns in a population of female students demonstrated specifically that autobiographical flexibility deficits appeared to manifest within a non-clinical sample. This strengthens the argument for further exploration as to whether autobiographical memory flexibility deficits are also present in a clinical sample of girls with AN. Understanding the specific underlying cognitive difficulties within AN will not only support the understanding of the condition, but may also support the development of novel treatments, such as training autobiographical memory.
Therefore, the aims of the present study are to determine whether impaired set-shifting, on the Brixton task, is evident in a clinical population of adolescent females with eating concerns, and whether inflexibility is also manifested in autobiographical memory retrieval in a clinical population. 20 female adolescents fulfilling the criteria for AN will complete a measure of autobiographical memory flexibility, two set-shifting tasks (Brixton Spatial Anticipation Test and Trail Making Test) and measures of mood, ruminative thinking, and eating habits. Their performance will then be compared to a healthy control group (N = 20), matched for age, from Streetly Academy, Streetly, West Midlands, in order to determine the influence of AN on autobiographical memory flexibility.
Measures:
1. Autobiographical memory flexibility task
2. Eating Disorder Inventory 2 (EDI-2)
3. Rumination Response Scale (RRS)
4. Revised Children’s Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS)
5. Brixton Spatial Anticipation Task (Brixton)
6. Trail Making Test (TMT)REC name
West Midlands - Edgbaston Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0314
Date of REC Opinion
2 Jan 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion