💬In plain words
What the trial is, and whether it could suit you
The ability to mentally recall a motor act without any overt movement is called motor imagery (MI). The movement simulation that occurs on a cognitive level can be seen as a way in which we express the mental representation of the body in action. MI tasks can be used as a proxy for the exploration of the mental representations of the body. Interestingly, MI tasks differ in the degree of action monitoring required to resolve the task. More in detail, we can allocate MI tasks along a continuum that goes from more implicit MI tasks (less action monitoring required for the resolution of the task) to more explicit MI tasks (more action monitoring required for the resolution of the task).
Eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are both characterized by body image distortion and impairments (i.e. overestimation of the perceived body), however, on a different st
Sign in to get the eligibility rules as simple questions to take to your doctor.
📋 Eligibility rules (as published)
People affected by AN
Inclusion Criteria:
* Female;
* age between 18 and 55 years old;
* diagnosis of AN (restrictive and binge-purging type\*), as per DSM V criteria (APA, 2013);
* BMI ≤ 17,5 Kg/m2;
* right-handed (i.e. Edinburgh Handedness Inventory (EHI) (Veale, 2014)).
* Restricting type: During the last 3 months, the individual has not engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating or purging behaviour (i.e. self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas). This subtype describes presentations in which weight loss is accomplished primarily through dieting, fasting, and/or excessive exercise.
* Binge-eating/purging type: During the last 3 months, the individual has engaged in recurrent episodes of binge eating or purging behaviour (i.e. self-induced vomiting or the misuse of laxatives, diuretics, or enemas).
Exclusion criteria:
* presence of motor impairments, such as: motor disorders, broken limbs, inability to move, amputation of limbs, etc… because of the nature of the tasks - see the section Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC) Task Hands and Feet and Whole Body;
* presence of neurological deficits, motor disorders, or somatosensory perception disorders (e.g. peripheral neuropathy); previous head injury;
* schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other psychotic disorders on an acute phase;
* pregnancy;
* heavy use of medication because of acute symptoms.
People affected by BN
Inclusion Criteria:
* female;
* age between 18 and 55 years old;
* diagnosis of BN, as per DSM V criteria (APA, 2013);
* BMI ≤ 17,5 Kg/m2 or BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2;
* right-handed (i.e. EHI (Veale, 2014)).
Exclusion criteria:
* presence of motor impairments, such as: motor disorders, broken limbs, inability to move, amputation of limbs, etc… because of the nature of the tasks - see the section Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC) Task Hands and Feet and Whole Body;
* presence of neurological deficits, motor disorders, or somatosensory perception disorders (e.g. peripheral neuropathy); previous head injury;
* schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other psychotic disorders on an acute phase;
* pregnancy;
* heavy use of medication because of acute symptoms.
HCs - enrolled voluntarily
Inclusion Criteria:
* female;
* age between 18 and 55 years old;
* right-handed (i.e. EHI (Veale, 2014)).
Exclusion criteria:
* history of eating disorders or obesity in the past 5 years and currently;
* BMI ≤ 17,5 Kg/m2 or BMI ≥ 30 Kg/m2;
* presence of motor impairments, such as: motor disorders, broken limbs, inability to move, amputation of limbs, etc… because of the nature of the tasks - see the section Mental Motor Chronometry (MMC) Task Hands and Feet and Whole Body;
* presence of neurological deficits, motor disorders, or somatosensory perception disorders (e.g. peripheral neuropathy); previous head injury;
* schizophrenia spectrum disorders and other psychotic disorders on an acute phase;
* pregnancy;
* heavy use of medication because of acute symptoms.
Comparability between the four groups (AN restrictive vs AN binge-purging vs BN vs HCs) in terms of age and education will be guaranteed.
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