CP Research Corner: Executive Functions in Adolescents with Binge Eating Disorder and Obesity

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Written By MELISSA GERSON, LCSW

Executive functions in adolescents with binge-eating disorder and obesityIn this study, Kittel, Schmidt, and Hilbert (2017) sought to examine executive functions (EF) in response to neutral stimuli in youth with BED and obesity (referred to as “BED”), obesity only (“OB”), and normal weight controls (“NW”) to assess for differences between the groups. The researchers hypothesized that BED and OB patients would show EF deficits but that the BED group would be more impaired than the OB group.

What the Study Results Revealed About Executive Functions

The results of this study found that although BED and OB displayed impaired inhibition compared to NW, contrary to the researchers’ hypothesis, BED did not perform worse than OB on any of the neuropsychological tests. The results of this study may be useful because if we can target EF in adolescent patients with BED, this may aid in developing novel treatments.

MELISSA GERSON, LCSW

Melissa Gerson is the founder of Columbus Park Center for Eating Disorders in New York City. Over the last 20-plus years, she has trained in just about every evidence-based eating disorder treatment available to individuals with eating disorders: a dizzying list of acronyms including CBT-E, CBT-AR, DBT, FBT, IPT, SSCM, FBI and more.

Among Melissa’s most important achievements has been a certification as a Family-Based Treatment provider; with her mastery of this potent and life-changing (and life-saving!) modality, she’s treated hundreds of young people successfully and continues to maintain a small caseload of FBT clients as she also focuses on leadership and management roles at Columbus Park.

Since founding Columbus Park in 2008, Melissa has trained multiple generations of eating disorder professionals and has dedicated her time to a combination of clinical practice, writing, and presenting.

https://www.columbuspark.com
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App-Based Data Collection and the Future of Eating Disorder Treatment