The CORTEX Project: a Pre-post Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial Evaluating the Efficacy of a Computerized COgnitive Remediation ThErapy Progeam for Adult Inpatients With anoreXia Nervosa

For this reason, the present multicenter Randomized Control Trial (RCT) aims to implement a new CA-CRT for AN (CA-CRT-AN) and to test its feasibility and efficacy as an adjunctive intervention on selected neuropsychological (cognitive flexibility, verbal fluency, visuospatial processing, and attention) and psychological measures (eating disorders, health-related quality of life - HRQoL, and motivation to change) in populations of inpatients with AN following a nutritional rehabilitation program compared to controls following the treatment already used in the clinics (TAU).

Patients with AN will be invited to take part in the study at admission to each rehabilitation center according to the above-mentioned inclusion/exclusion criteria, and those eligible will be randomly assigned to either the experimental (CA-CRT) or control group (TAU).

Before the randomization, they will be asked to sign the informed consent to participate in the research and complete the psychodiagnostic (BAI, BDI II, OCI-R) and psychological (EDE-Q, WHOQOL-BREF, URICA) measures under the supervision of a clinical psychologist independent of the study. The selected neuropsychological measures will be also administered at baseline Randomization will be stratified by center and performed using permuted block technique within each site by a researcher independent of the study. Subjects will be assigned to one of two conditions: both groups received usual hospital care, and the experimental group, in addition, will receive the CA-CRT treatment.

At the end of the treatment (after 5 weeks), subjects in both conditions will be re-administered with neuropsychological tests and psychological measures The total duration of the research will be 6 months, considering a discontinuous enrollment related to the admission to the clinics