Enduring Changes in Decision Making in Patients with Full Remission from Anorexia Nervosa

2016

Background: Deficits in neuropsychological functioning have consistently been identified in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, little is known on how decision making in AN patients evolves in response to treatment or whether impairments are reversible. Method: AN patients (n = 42) completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) upon admission to a 3-month day-hospital treatment programme and at a 1-year follow-up. Patient IGT performance was compared to age-matched controls (n = 46). Results: AN patients displayed poorer performance on the IGT at admission compared to controls (p <.001). Patients with full remission (n = 31; 73.9%) at the 1-year follow-up improved IGT performance (p = 0.0…