Cognitive Remediation Therapy in Anorexia Nervosa

"Clinicians from the Maudsley (IoP, London, UK) have specifically tailored a cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) for treating Anorexia Nervosa (AN). It is an intensive manualised training cognitive therapy which addresses the difficulties in flexibility and holistic processing that have been incriminated in AN. CRT has been found to improve AN's neuropsychological functioning and short term outcome. To our knowledge, no French speaking country has tested its effectiveness. Moreover, the question whether it is efficient for both anorexic restrictive and anorexic binge-purging patients remains unanswered.

The aim of the present study is to determine if CRT in AN adolescents and young adults has a favourable impact on cognitive functioning and clinical status. We will also explore whether the impact of CRT is similar in both anorexic restrictive and binge-purging subtypes. There will also be an Historical Control Group of patients, sixty, who received traditional medical interventions in a specialized inpatient unit for eating disorders (i.e., EVHAN study)."

"Several studies have documented that patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) display a trait of cognitive inflexibility (e;g., poor set-shifting performances on the Trail Making Task B), i.e. an inability to move flexibly back and forth between tasks, operations, or mental sets which allows for the adaptation of behaviour in response to changing demands within the environment. This cognitive inflexibility can be observed both during the acute phase of the illness and after weight restoration, and has been found to predict negative treatment outcomes. 'Weak central coherence' is another skill which is particularly problematic in AN. It refers to a cognitive style in which information remains fragmented as opposed to integrated, with processing occurring at the level of 'detail' as opposed to 'whole'. AN patients exhibit this detail focussed information-processing style (e.g., as measured by the Embedded Figures Test). To treat these difficulties, clinicians from the Institute of Psychiatry (London, UK) have specifically tailored a treatment for AN. Cognitive remediation therapy (CRT) is an intensive training cognitive therapy that encourages people to reflect on and try to modify the way they think, with a particular focus on improving cognitive flexibility. It is a manualised therapist-led intervention consisting of multiple versions of a variety of tasks and mental exercises that address the difficulties in flexibility and holistic processing. CRT is a 10-sessions long program that has been found to improve AN's neuropsychological functioning and short term outcome. To our knowledge, no French speaking country has tested its effectiveness. Moreover, the question whether it is efficient for both anorexic restrictive and anorexic binge-purging patients remains unanswered.

To address these issues, we designed a multicenter randomized clinical trial on the effectiveness of CRT in AN adolescents and young adults.

Main hypothesis: AN patients treated with CRT present a better clinical status than those treated by a control therapy.

Recruitment and Procedure: 120 female adolescents or young adults \[15-40 years old\] AN (60 Anorexic Restrictive; 60 Anorexic Binge-Purging) will be recruited among the patients of specialized ED care units of three hospitals: PAUL BROUSSE, INSTITUT MUTUALISTE MONTSOURIS, COCHIN-MAISON DE SOLENN. In each group of AN subtype, the patients will be randomly allocated to one of the two treatment arms: CRT or Sham Therapy (ST). Each therapy is manualised and includes 10 sessions over a period of 5 weeks (2 sessions/week). All the patients will be assessed just prior the beginning and after the end of the CRT/ST, at 6 months and 1 year of follow-up."

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* female;
* 15-40 years old;
* hospitalised for a diagnosis of Anorexia Nervosa (DSM-IV Revised criteria) in one of the three departments participating in this research ;
* fluent in French;
* who provide their informed consent (or as far as possible their parents for those under 18).

Exclusion Criteria:

* previous history of neurological disorders;
* actual substance use disorder;
* schizophrenia;
* presenting a related somatic illness (diabetes, Crohn's disease, metabolic illness) or a life-threatening condition.