Cognitive flexibility, the readiness with which one can selectively switch between mental processes to generate appropriate behavioral responses, develops in a protracted manner and is compromised in several prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders.
How does anorexia affect cognitive development?
Eating disorder patients often have persistent, obsessive thoughts about food, hunger, exercise, body shape and the like. It is possible that these thoughts “use up” some of their cognitive resources most of the time, leaving less ability to plan other decisions and perform other tasks.
What is cognitive in anorexia?
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with adverse effects on cognitive functioning in the domains of attention, processing speed, visual and verbal memory, and visuospatial construction [1,2,3,4,5], as well as high rates of comorbid anxiety, depression, and obsessive compulsive disorder [1, 6, 7].
How does cognitive flexibility relate to anorexia?
Previous research has shown that anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with both weak cognitive flexibility and weak central coherence. These two factors have been incorporated in theoretical models of the development and maintenance of AN and are targeted in specific treatments for AN.
How does anorexia affect development?
Anorexia & Puberty Anorexia can negatively interrupt puberty by causing changes in hormones that lower bone mass and disrupt hormones [1,3]. Loss of bone mass can cause stunted growth, which can keep people from reaching their full height [1].
What part of the brain is affected by anorexia?
Most fMRI studies performed in patients with anorexia nervosa focused on food, taste, physical appearance and social cognition. Although very different in terms of the study protocol, the most common findings are increased activation of the amygdala and altered activation of the cingulate cortex.
How does anorexia affect memory?
Directed-forgetting: individuals with eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa, display more difficulty in forgetting information or cues related to body, shape and food than those without eating disorders. This leads to greater availability of such memories, facilitating the maintenance of the eating disorder.
What is the cognitive model of eating Behaviour?
The cognitive theory of eating disorders posits that dysfunctional attitudes about physical appearance give rise to eating disorder risk factors such as dietary restriction, body dissatisfaction, and valuing of thinness.
Does anorexia affect thinking?
Brain fog is considered to be a temporary mild cognitive impairment and sometimes thought of as an exaggerated mental fatigue. (1) Brain fog can occur in people with anorexia nervosa (AN), an eating disorder, as well as among people without this condition. A few common symptoms of brain fog include: reduced cognition.
What is cognitive factor?
Definition. Cognitive factors refer to characteristics of the person that affect performance and learning. These factors serve to modulate performance such that it may improve or decline. These factors involve cognitive functions like attention, memory, and reasoning (Danili & Reid, 2006).
Does anorexia affect studying?
Despite malnourishment, the perfectionist attitude of those who suffer from anorexia and bulimia may compel them to maintain a high level of academic performance, which is even more difficult given their compromised physical and mental status.
What is the psychology behind anorexia nervosa?
The cause of anorexia nervosa is rarely about food or weight but rather about unresolved negative emotions and past traumas that result from the complex intertwining relationships between social, biological, and psychological factors, which can be rooted deep within the individual since early childhood.
What is childhood onset anorexia nervosa?
A child with anorexia has low body weight. He or she often has a distorted view of his or her body. Physical symptoms may include very dry skin, belly pain, and constipation. A mental health expert can diagnose anorexia. Treatment may include therapy and nutritional rehab.
What are 5 physical effects of anorexia?
- Extreme weight loss or not making expected developmental weight gains.
- Thin appearance.
- Abnormal blood counts.
- Fatigue.
- Insomnia.
- Dizziness or fainting.
- Bluish discoloration of the fingers.
- Hair that thins, breaks or falls out.
How does the brain impact eating behavior?
The brain is influenced by various signals to affect people’s eating behaviors and regulate their bodies’ energy balance, for example by changing appetite and energy expenditure in response to blood levels of key metabolic hormones and nutrients.
Does anorexia cause permanent brain damage?
Brain scans of people with anorexia reveal that the brain goes through structural changes or abnormal activity during the disease. Some of these abnormalities may discontinue weight restoration, but some of the damage to the brain can be permanent.
Can not eating enough cause memory problems?
Nutritional Deficiency A lack of sufficient levels of B12, one of the B vitamins essential for normal nerve function, can lead to confusion and even dementia, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Does anorexia cause brain shrinkage?
More than 700 females with the condition underwent MRI scans and it was found that reductions in brain volume ranged from between one and five per cent in people who had anorexia.
Can starvation affect memory?
When a person does not get adequate nutrition regularly, starved brain will affect concentration, memory, cognitive flexibility, and fear responses, regardless of brain size.
What is the main idea of cognitive perspective?
The cognitive perspective, operates on the belief that the brain is the most important aspect in relation to the way that an individual behaves or thinks. This perspective states that to understand someone, you must first be able to understand what is happening in their mind.
How does the cognitive approach explain bulimia?
According to the cognitive view of bulimia nervosa, these extreme concerns, described by Russell as “a morbid fear of becoming fat” and the American Psychiatric Association as the “persistent overconcern with body shape and weight”, are a central feature of the psychopathology of the disorder.
What is transdiagnostic theory?
The transdiagnostic model of FBT posits that while the etiology of an eating disorder is unknown, the pathology affects the family and home environment in ways that inadvertently allow for symptom maintenance and progression.
How does not eating affect your brain?
Restricted eating, malnourishment, and excessive weight loss can lead to changes in our brain chemistry, resulting in increased symptoms of depression and anxiety (Centre for Clinical Interventions, 2018b). These changes in brain chemistry and poor mental health outcomes skew reality.
How does being underweight affect the brain?
Being underweight also leads to low haemoglobin count in the blood. Haemoglobin is essential for carrying oxygen to the brain, and being low on this parameter results in poor oxygenation of the brain, leading to regular episodes of dizziness, easy fatigability and cognitive decline.
How does malnutrition affect the brain?
Structurally malnutrition results in tissue damage, growth retardation, disorderly differentiation, reduction in synapses and synaptic neurotransmitters, delayed myelination and reduced overall development of dendritic arborization of the developing brain.