gms | German Medical Science

4. Wissenschaftlicher Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Essstörungen e. V. (DGESS)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Essstörungen e. V.

20.03. - 22.03.2014, Leipzig

BrainStim – working memory training in patients with anorexia nervosa: a pilot study

Meeting Abstract

  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Natalia Adamski - Fakultät für Psychologie der Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • author Barbara Rost - Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrische Klinik der Universitären Psychiatrischen Kliniken Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • author Alain Di Gallo - Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrische Klinik der Universitären Psychiatrischen Kliniken Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • author Klaus Schmeck - Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrische Klinik der Universitären Psychiatrischen Kliniken Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • author Peter Weber - Abteilung Neuro- und Entwicklungspädiatrie des Universitäts-Kinderspitals beider Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • author Klaus Opwis - Fakultät für Psychologie der Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland
  • author Iris-Katharina Penner - Fakultät für Psychologie der Universität Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Essstörungen e.V. (DGESS). 4. Wissenschaftlicher Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Essstörungen. Leipzig, 20.-22.03.2014. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2014. Doc14dgess086

doi: 10.3205/14dgess086, urn:nbn:de:0183-14dgess0868

Published: March 17, 2014

© 2014 Adamski et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Outline

Text

Introduction: Neuropsychological deficits including memory impairment are common in patients with anorexia nervosa restrictive subtype (AN-R). Rigid thinking, a key feature of AN-R, seems to be associated with deficits in working memory functions. It is hypothesized that both factors contribute to the maintenance of the illness. Thus, general working memory improvement may have favorable effects on overall clinical outcome. This study will assess the efficacy of a computerized intervention tool (BrainStim) targeted on working memory in patients with AN-R.

Methods: Using the RavelloProfile (RP) and additional tests to assess working memory functioning (Digit span and Corsi blocks, N-back (2-, 3-back) and VLMT) cognitive performance will be examined before and after the cognitive intervention. A 6 months follow-up will be applied to investigate stability of effects on working memory functioning over time. The BrainStim training procedure will last 4 weeks with 16 sessions of 45 minutes duration.

Results: Data collection is still ongoing. So far we tested 14 women with AN-R, 7 in the training group and 7 without training. Almost all subjects improved significantly over time during training indicating a strong learning effect. This effect was transferred into neuropsychological outcomes after training including improvement on the Y-BOCS obsession subscale, STAI trait, 2-back accuracy, Rey Delayed Recall, and Tower of London test. Five out of these 7 AN-R were examined 6 months later and showed improved outcomes on the EDE-Q restraint subscale, Y-BOCS obsession and compulsive subscale, and the Corsi Blocks backward.

Conclusion: Since all participants considerably improved during training and in several neuropsychological outcomes, the efficacy of the treatment could be verified. There seems to be continuous and steady changes after such a cognitive intervention that may have an additional favorable effect on the general therapeutic setting.