The somatosensory system in anorexia nervosa: A scoping review

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by a number of symptoms including food restriction and body perception distortions. In the present scoping review, we outline the current literature on sensory submodalities related to the somatosensory system in AN including affective touch, haptic perception, interoception, nociception, proprioception, and tactile perception as well as multisensory integration. The evidence suggests that individuals with AN exhibit abnormalities in multisensory integration, discrimination (but not detection) of complex haptic and tactile stimuli, and reduced sensitivity to nociceptive stimuli. This review provides an outline of the current literature, identifies gaps within the literature, and suggests novel directions for future research.