Set-shifting abilities, central coherence, and handedness in anorexia nervosa patients, their unaffected siblings and healthy controls: Exploring putative endophenotypes

Abstract

Set-shifting and central coherence seem to be promising cognitive endophenotypes that might help in the understanding of the pathogenetic processes involved in AN. Further studies on larger samples are needed to explore the generalizability and implications of our findings concerning handedness.

A Systematic Review of Central Coherence in Young People with Anorexia Nervosa

“…The methods for scoring the ROCFT varied between studies with the most consistently used method of scoring was Booth's (2006) where by the order and style indices are calculated and contribute to a central coherence index (CCI). This method was adopted by four studies [21,22,24,27,28], is presented as two separate studies, as the AN sample was divided into two subgroups. The subgroups (hypo-perfusion and normal-perfusion) were based on neurobiological status reflecting results from a brain scan that measured regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF).…”

“…The ROCFT was used in 6 studies [21,22,24,[26][27][28]. The methods for scoring the ROCFT varied between studies with the most consistently used method of scoring was Booth's (2006) where by the order and style indices are calculated and contribute to a central coherence index (CCI).…”

“…However one study was excluded from the review [20] as means and standard deviations were not reported. There was also one study [21] that had employed the use of block design, but since this was not recognised as a valid measure in the adult AN literature, the decision to exclude this study was made [15]. One study [22] that had used the Group Embedded Figures test [23], but as this study did not use a HC comparison group and there were no other child AN studies to informally compare the data to, the decision was taken to exclude this data from the review.…”

Catechol-O-methyltransferase genotype modifies executive functioning and prefrontal functional connectivity in women with anorexia nervosa

“…Healthy women within the same age range were recruited from the general population and among volunteers, as described in previous studies. 5,20,21 A description of the samples is given in Appendix 1, available at cma.ca/jpn. All patients with anorexia nervosa had to meet DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa in their lifetime; however, patients could be at different stages of their illness at the time of neuropsychological assessment.…”

“…1,2 Cognitive inflexibility and set-shifting impairment have been found in women with current and past anorexia nervosa and also among unaffected sisters of patients with anorexia nervosa, suggesting that these cognitive features are putative endophenotypes. [3][4][5] A dysregulation in dopaminergic function, particularly in frontostriatal circuits, has been considered a key factor in explaining the affective and cognitive alterations observed in patients with anorexia nervosa. 1,6 However, few studies have explored the role of genes regulating dopaminergic function on the cognitive characteristics of patients with eating disorders, and to our knowledge none have investigated starving patients with anorexia nervosa as a separate group.…”