1,721,091 research outputs found
Alexithymia, dissociation and emotional regulation in eating disorders: Evidence of improvement through specialized inpatient treatment
Full text linkThe research into emotional regulation in eating disorders (EDs) has shown specificimpairments and maladaptive coping strategies in patients, and there is an increasinginterest in the role of the emotional domain in the treatment outcome. This studyaims to evaluate the effect of a specialized inpatient treatment characterized by bothan intensive and comprehensive standardized multidisciplinary programme based oncognitive–behavioural therapy and a flexible and personalized componentimplemented by third-wave interventions. A cohort of 67 female ED patients(anorexia nervosa = 28, bulimia nervosa = 28 and binge eating disorder = 11)underwent an evaluation of emotional regulation difficulties, alexithymia and dissociative symptomatology at admission to a specialized ED ward. The psychological modifications were subsequently re-evaluated upon discharge, after an inpatients treatment of 60 days, examining specific changes in the specific psychopathology. A significant improvement after specialized ED treatment was shown in alexithymia, emotional regulation difficulties and dissociation symptoms,with higher effect sizes in patients with higher alexithymia scores. As regards the specific effect of the psychological improvement, changes into alexithymia score shave shown specific correlations with ED psychopathology (p < 0.010) and with difficulties in emotional regulation (p < 0.010) in patients with higher alexithymia levels at admission. Emotional regulation and dissociation should therefore be evaluated in ED patients and may be improved with specific therapeutic approaches,while alexithymia remains a clinical trait, even with a significant reduction
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Editorial: Eating disorders and emotion regulation, looking at the spectrum from overcontrolling to dysregulation
Full text linkNetwork analysis of specific psychopathology and psychiatric symptoms in patients with anorexia nervosa
No full textBACKGROUND:
Network analysis is increasingly applied to psychiatric populations to understand relationships among symptoms.
METHODS:
Network analysis was applied on 955 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN; 631 restricting-type [ANR] and 324 binge eating-/purging-type [ANBP]), assessed with Symptom Check-List 90 (SCL-90), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), and Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire.
RESULTS:
Depression, anxiety, interpersonal sensitivity (SCL-90), and ineffectiveness (EDI) had the highest centrality (strength from 1.19 to 1.35 in ANBP, and from 1.15 to 1.51 in ANR). Body mass index (BMI) had low centrality (0.14 ANBP and 0.41 ANR). Drive for thinness showed the strongest correlation with central nodes in ANBP (correlation around 0.44) and ANR (correlation range 0.38-0.47), and drive for thinness had higher centrality in ANR (1.15) than in ANBP (0.81), whereas body dissatisfaction in ANBP (0.73) than in ANR (0.61).
DISCUSSION:
In addition to ED-core symptoms, psychiatric comorbid symptoms should be the focus of specific treatments in patients with AN, independently from BMI
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Anorexia nervosa and diffusion weighted imaging: An open methodological question raised by a systematic review and a fractional anisotropy anatomical likelihood estimation meta‐analysis
No full textBACKGROUND:
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is characterized by white matter abnormalities in neuroimaging studies. Fractional anisotropy (FA) is a diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) index that is considered an instrument for the evaluation of white matter alterations. However, the literature has recently pointed out the role of the partial volume effect (PVE) as a confounding factor for the identification of juxtaposed tissues. Our goal was to review the DTI literature in AN and evaluate possible confounding factors linked to the reported results.
METHOD:
A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify Diffusion Tensor Imaging studies of individuals with AN and, subsequently, an anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis was performed on studies published before March 18, 2019.
RESULTS:
Twenty-four studies (AN = 517, controls = 542) were included in the qualitative systematic review of the literature. Ten published studies underwent the ALE-analysis (AN = 210, controls = 229), plus data from an unpublished cohort (AN = 38, controls = 38). Two clusters of decreased FA were identified, namely in the left corona radiata, and in the left thalamus. Only one article took the PVE correction analysis into account.
CONCLUSIONS:
The alterations identified must be considered within the limits of a possible methodological bias regarding PVE and free water and re-analysis of the data may be recommended. The preliminary data showed that the alteration of white matter pathways between the limbic structures and brain cortex may be linked to the processing of somatosensory information that could play a key role in the psychopathology of the disorde
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Shift Toward Randomness in Brain Networks of Patients With Anorexia Nervosa: The Role of Malnutrition
Full text linkNo study to date investigated structural white matter (WM) connectome characteristics in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Previous research in AN found evidence of imbalances in global and regional connectomic brain architecture and highlighted a role of malnutrition in determining structural brain changes. The aim of our study was to explore the characteristics of the WM network architecture in a sample of patients with AN. Thirty-six patients with AN and 36 healthy women underwent magnetic resonance imaging to obtain a high-resolution three-dimensional T1-weighted anatomical image and a diffusion tensor imaging scan. Probabilistic tractography data were extracted and analyzed in their network properties through graph theory tools. In comparison to healthy women, patients with AN showed lower global network segregation (normalized clustering: p = 0.029), an imbalance between global network integration and segregation (i.e., lower small-worldness: p = 0.031), and the loss of some of the most integrative and influential hubs. Both clustering and small-worldness correlated with the lowest lifetime body mass index. A significant relationship was found between the average regional loss of cortical volume and changes in network properties of brain nodes: the more the difference in the cortical volume of brain areas, the more the increase in the centrality of corresponding nodes in the whole brain, and the decrease in clustering and efficiency of the nodes of parietal cortex. Our findings showed an unbalanced connectome wiring in AN patients, which seems to be influenced by malnutrition and loss of cortical volume. The role of this rearrangement in the maintenance and prognosis of AN and its reversibility with clinical improvement needs to be established by future studies
Impulsive behaviors and clinical outcomes following a flexible intensive inpatient treatment for eating disorders: findings from an observational study
No full textPurpose The aim of the study was to assess the differences between impulsive and non-impulsive patients in response to a multidisciplinary intensive inpatient treatment for eating disorders (EDs). Methods 320 patients with EDs were consecutively recruited in an eating disorders unit (EDU). They were assessed by clinical interviews and self-reported questionnaires. The treatment was characterized by a patient-centric approach and included both an intensive and comprehensive standardized multidisciplinary program based on cognitive-behavioral therapy and a flexible and personalized component according to the needs and the history of each patient. Results Impulsive ED patients showed greater improvement in specific psychopathological areas, in particular: interpersonal sensitivity of Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) (p = 0.007); Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) Global Score (p = 0.009), EDE-Q eating concern (p < 0.001) and EDE-Q shape concern (p = 0.025). The two groups also showed a different pattern on the Body Uneasiness Test, with impulsive patients uniquely showing improvement on Global Severity Index (p = 0.006), body image concern (p = 0.008), compulsive self monitoring (p = 0.002), and weight phobia (p = 0.037). Discussion Results support the hypothesis that patients with impulsive behaviors might benefit from treatments characterized by a standardized cognitive behavioral therapy implemented by third-wave interventions according to each patient's clinical profile. Personalized treatment approaches could be an answer to the complexity of ED, addressing individual psychopathology. Further studies are needed to confirm these preliminary findings
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