Psychiatry - Research Publications

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    Investigating the cause and maintenance of Anorexia Nervosa - The I-CAN study: Protocol and open call for study sites and collaboration
    Phillipou, A ; Croce, S ; Abel, LA ; Castle, DJ ; Dean, B ; Eikelis, N ; Elwyn, R ; Gurvich, C ; Jenkins, Z ; Meyer, D ; Miles, S ; Neill, E ; Ralph-Nearman, C ; Rocks, T ; Rossell, SL ; Ruusunen, A ; Simpson, TN ; Urbini, G ; West, M ; Malcolm, A (ELSEVIER IRELAND LTD, 2023-10)
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    A biomarker and endophenotype for anorexia nervosa?
    Phillipou, A ; Rossell, SL ; Gurvich, C ; Castle, DJ ; Meyer, D ; Abel, LA (SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD, 2022-08-01)
    OBJECTIVE: Recent research has suggested that a type of atypical eye movement, called square wave jerks, together with anxiety, may distinguish individuals with anorexia nervosa from those without anorexia nervosa and may represent a biomarker and endophenotype for the illness. The aim of this study was to identify the presence of this proposed marker in individuals currently with anorexia nervosa relative to healthy controls, and to identify the state independence and heritability of this putative marker by exploring whether it also exists in individuals who are weight-restored from anorexia nervosa and first-degree relatives (i.e. sisters of people with anorexia nervosa). METHODS: Data from 80 female participants (20/group: current anorexia nervosa, weight-restored from anorexia nervosa, sisters of people with anorexia nervosa and healthy controls) were analysed. Square wave jerk rate was acquired during a fixation task, and anxiety was measured with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. RESULTS: Current anorexia nervosa, weight-restored from anorexia nervosa and sisters of people with anorexia nervosa groups made significantly more square wave jerks than healthy controls, but did not differ from one another. Square wave jerk rate and anxiety were found to discriminate groups with exceptionally high accuracy (current anorexia nervosa vs healthy control = 92.5%; weight-restored from anorexia nervosa vs healthy control = 77.5%; sisters of people with anorexia nervosa vs healthy control = 77.5%; p < .001). CONCLUSION: The combination of square wave jerk rate and anxiety was found to be a promising two-element marker for anorexia nervosa, and has the potential to be used as a biomarker or endophenotype to identify people at risk of anorexia nervosa and inform future treatments.
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    Eye movements in anorexia nervosa: State or trait markers?
    Phillipou, A ; Abel, LA ; Gurvich, C ; Castle, DJ ; Rossell, SL (WILEY, 2020-10)
    OBJECTIVE: Differences in saccadic eye movements are widely reported in mental illnesses, and can indirectly inform our understanding of neurobiological and cognitive underpinnings of psychiatric conditions, including anorexia nervosa (AN). Preliminary research has suggested that individuals with AN may show specific eye movement abnormalities; whether these deficits are representative of state or trait effects is, however, unclear. The aim of this study was to identify whether there are demonstrable differences in performance on saccadic eye movement tasks in individuals with current AN (c-AN), those who are weight-restored from AN (wr-AN), biological sisters of individuals with AN (AN-sis), and healthy controls (HC). METHODS: Eighty participants took part in the study (n = 20/group). A set of saccadic eye movement tasks was administered, including prosaccade, antisaccade, memory-guided saccade, and visual scanpath tasks. RESULTS: The c-AN group showed an increased rate of inhibitory errors to 10° targets on the memory-guided saccade task. DISCUSSION: The results are discussed in terms of the potential role of the superior colliculus in AN, and that the findings may reflect a state measure of AN.