The relationship between attention and avoidance coping in anorexia nervosa: functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Abstract

Background Numerous studies have demonstrated attentional control difficulties and high avoidance coping in patients with anorexia nervosa. Attention is a critical coping resource because it enables individuals to demonstrate self-control and complete goal-directed behaviours. Aims We aimed to examine whether attentional control difficulty is related to high avoidance coping, and investigate the neural underpinnings of attentional control difficulties in individuals with anorexia nervosa. Method Twenty-three patients with anorexia nervosa and 17 healthy controls completed questionnaires that assessed attention and coping, and underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing a go/no-go task. Results Patients with anorexia nervosa showed weaker attentional control, higher omission error rates and higher avoidance coping compared with healthy controls. Attentional control difficulty was associated with higher avoidance coping in both groups. Functional magnetic resonance imaging analysis showed less deactivation in regions representing internal mental processing, such as the praecuneus, cuneus and left lingual gyrus, during the no-go condition. Moreover, weakened deactivation of the left lingual gyrus was associated with higher commission error rate in the anorexia nervosa group. Conclusions Our results suggest that patients with anorexia nervosa may have difficulty in maintaining attention to external ongoing events because of disturbance from internal self-related thought, and support the notion that attentional control difficulties underlie the frequent use of avoidance coping in anorexia nervosa. FU - Japan Society for the Promotion of ScienceMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT)Japan Society for the Promotion of Science [JP15K09864, JP16H06395, JP16H06397, JP19K17088, JP19J40242]; Japan Agency for Medical Research and DevelopmentJapan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) [20dm0307104s0402] FX - This study was supported by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (grant numbers JP15K09864 awarded to S.N., JP16H06395 and JP16H06397 awarded to T.M., JP19K17088 awarded to M.I. and JP19J40242 awarded to T.N.) and Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (grant number 20dm0307104s0402 awarded to M. NR - 40 PU - CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS PI - CAMBRIDGE PA - EDINBURGH BLDG, SHAFTESBURY RD, CB2 8RU CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND