Auditory Sensory Attenuation in Anorexia Nervosa

Active, not recruiting

Brief Summary: The goal of this observational cross-sectional study is to test the sensory attenuation effect with auditory stimuli comparing women affected by anorexia nervosa and healthy-weight women. Specifically, the study aims to test whether the sensory attenuation effect (i.e., the perceived loudness of a self-generated sound is weaker than when another person produces the same sound):

i) is observed in anorexia nervosa ii) it can be modulated in interactive action contexts, as was previously observed in healthy participants.

Participants will compare the loudness of target sound with a comparison tone, which can be prompt by the participant by pressing a button on their own will (i.e., individual context) or upon the experimenter\'s signal (i.e., interactive context); externally-generated sounds are produced in the opposite way.

Detailed Description: The perceived loudness of a self-generated sound is generally weaker than when another person produces the same sound. This effect is known as sensory attenuation, and it is considered a proof of sense of agency (i.e., it relies on the anticipation of the sensory-motor effects of one\'s intentional action). Recently, it was suggested that this effect is enhanced in interactive action contexts in healthy individuals, meaning that sounds are produced as a consequence of cooperation between individuals.

Participants will compare the loudness of target sound with a comparison tone, which could be generated in 4 different conditions:

i) participants press a button ii) the experimenter press the button iii) participants press the button upon the experimenter\'s signal (i.e., who touch the participants\' arm) iv) the experimenter presses the button upon the participants\' signal (i.e., who touch the experimenter\'s arm).

However, it is not clear whether the same effect of cooperation can be observed also when individuals experience difficulties in social interactions and relationships.

To this purpose, the study compared the sensory attenuation effect for auditory stimuli in a traditional (i.e., individual) and interactive context, comparing women affected by anorexia nervosa with healthy-weight women.

Indeed, relational difficulties and social withdrawal characterized this clinical condition.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

diagnosis of anorexia nervosa according to the DSM-V classification (experimental group)
BMI ranged between 19 - 25 kg/m2 (controls)
handedness: right

Exclusion Criteria

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
point of subjective equality (PSE)	day 1	individual PSE in each experimental condition is obtained by fitting observed judgements of loudness, relative to seven possible comparison tones. The PSE represents the tone loudness that participants perceive as loud as the target sound (i.e., the sound intensity which records only 50% of correct judgments "which sounds was louder?")

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
interpersonal pleasure	day 1	Anticipatory and Consummatory Interpersonal Pleasure Scale - ACIPS: 17-item self-reported questionnaire scored on 6-point Likert scale (from 1 - very false for me to 6-very true for me). ACIPS total score ranges from 1 to 102: higher scores indicate higher anticipatory and consummatory interpersonal pleasure.
cognitive empathy	day 1	Interpersonal Reactivity Index - IRI: 28-item self-report questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale (from 1 -does not describe me well to 5 - describes me very well). Four components of cognitive empathy are measured: i) perspective taking (IRI-PT); ii) fantasy (IRI-F); iii) empathic concern (IRI-EC); iv) personal distress (IRI-PD); each subscale includes 7 items (total scores range from 1 to 35): the higher the score, the higher the expression of cognitive empathy described in each subscale.

Locations (1): IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, San Giuseppe Hospital
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Piancavallo, VCO, Italy