Presa de decisions i personalitat en els trastorns de la conducta alimentària.

Abstract

Decision-making, defined as the capacity to make decisions about a course of action, is_x000D_ a cognitive function which has become a major research topic within mental disorders._x000D_ Impairment in decision-making has been found in patients with ventromedial prefrontal_x000D_ cortex lesions, as well as in several mental disorders such as eating disorders. Patients_x000D_ with these disorders show an inability to make advantageous decisions and a preference_x000D_ for immediate reward in spite of future negative consequences. Moreover, recent studies_x000D_ found that some personality traits such us impulsivity are related to decision-making._x000D_ The aim of this study is to explore decision-making in a sample of eating disorder_x000D_ patients and to examine the relation between personality and decision-making. We_x000D_ divided the eating disorders sample into restricting and binge/purging groups. The_x000D_ sample consisted of 84 patients and 38 healthy control subjects. The Iowa Gambling_x000D_ Task was used to assess decision-making, and the Barrat Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11),_x000D_ the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R), the Sensitivity to_x000D_ Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), and the Frost_x000D_ Multidimensional Personality Scale (FMPS) were used to assess personality traits._x000D_ Results confirmed a deficit in decision-making in eating disorder patients and showed_x000D_ that impulsivity was negatively correlated with IGT only in the binge-purging group,_x000D_ whereas perfectionism was positively correlated with IGT only in the restricting group._x000D_ These intriguing results suggest that decision-making impairment might be explained by_x000D_ different mechanisms in restricting and binge/purging disorders.

Date of Award	24 Oct 2012
Original language	Undefined/Unknown
Supervisor	Susanna Subira Alvarez (Director)