Neural processes related to negative self‐concept in adult and adolescent anorexia nervosa

• Published in: European eating disorders review 2022-01, Vol.30 (1), p.23-35
• Main Authors: Mendoza, Carlisdania J., Palka, Jayme M., Pelfrey, Sarah E., Hunt, Bethany J., Krawczyk, Daniel C., McAdams, Carrie J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adults; Anorexia; Anorexia Nervosa - diagnostic imaging; Brain; Brain Mapping; Diagnostic Self Evaluation; eating disorders; Female; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; neuroimaging; Self Concept; self‐esteem; social cognition; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1072-4133; 1099-0968
• DOI: 10.1002/erv.2867

Objective Negative self‐concept is characteristic of anorexia nervosa (AN), but the neural processes mediating this component of AN is unknown. These studies investigated how valence and social perspectives impact neural processing in both adults and adolescents with AN. Method In an fMRI task, participants evaluated positive and negative adjectives from three social perspectives. Two studies were completed, one in 59 women (healthy, with AN, recovered from AN) and one in 42 adolescents (healthy, with AN). Neural regions of interest (ROIs) related to valence were identified and activations compared across groups and social perspectives. Results Behaviourally, both adult and adolescent cohorts with AN were less positive during self‐evaluations. In the adult study, neural differences related to clinical group and condition were observed in ROIs more responsive to positive social stimuli (medial prefrontal cortex, precuneus, left temporoparietal junction) but not in ROIs more responsive to negative social stimuli. No neural differences in relation to clinical group were observed in the adolescents. Conclusions Behavioural differences related to negative self‐concept are present in both adolescents and adults with AN, and neural differences, selective for positive social stimuli, were also observed in adults. AN may interfere with neurodevelopmental processes involved in positive self‐concept. Highlights Anorexia nervosa (AN) includes a negative social bias specific for self‐relevant stimuli. Adults with AN have reduced neural responses to positive self‐relevant stimuli. Adolescents, both with AN and healthy comparison, did not show neural activations selective for positive social stimuli.