Behavioral Responses to Uncertainty in Weight-Restored Anorexia Nervosa – Preliminary Results

Impaired decision-making under conditions of uncertainty seems to contribute to theexpression and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN), but it is not clear whether thisimpairment is a disease state that would remit with treatment, or a persisting trait inpatients with AN. To examine this question, a longitudinal study was conducted in12 female inpatients with AN (age M = 22.2, SE = 1.36), before (Time-1) and afterreaching a body mass index of >17.5 kg/m2 (Time-2). Intolerance of uncertainty (IU)was assessed via a decision-making task, the wheel of fortune (WOF). Weight gain atTime-2 was accompanied with significant changes in uncertainty-related performancecompared to Time-1 [(Time Uncertainty), p < 0.05]. At Time-1, reaction times (RTs)varied in function of uncertainty, while at Time-2, uncertainty did not modulate RTs.These findings support a change in decision-making under uncertainty with successfulweight-rehabilitation in AN. While IU was present in underweight patients, it becamenon-significant after weight restoration