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A systematic review of reviews of neurocognitive functioning in eating disorders: The state‐of‐the‐literature and future directions
Author(s) -
Smith Kathryn E.,
Mason Tyler B.,
Johnson Jeffrey S.,
Lavender Jason M.,
Wonderlich Stephen A.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.22929
Subject(s) - neurocognitive , psychology , systematic review , eating disorders , cognitive psychology , confounding , meta analysis , clinical psychology , cognition , coherence (philosophical gambling strategy) , set (abstract data type) , developmental psychology , medline , psychiatry , medicine , political science , computer science , pathology , law , physics , quantum mechanics , programming language
Objective In recent years there has been increasing clinical and empirical interest in neurocognitive functioning in eating disorders (EDs), which has resulted in numerous quantitative and qualitative reviews. However, there has yet to be a comprehensive synthesis or critical review of this literature to identify future directions to advance the field in this area. Therefore the aim of this systematic review of systematic reviews was to (a) characterize the existing literature on neurocognitive functioning in EDs based on recent reviews (i.e., published since 2010), (b) describe related limitations, and (c) suggest avenues for future research to address gaps in the current literature. Method Electronic databases were queried for reviews of neurocognitive domains (i.e., inhibitory control, decision‐making, central coherence, set‐shifting, working memory, and attention bias) in EDs, which identified 28 systematic and meta‐analytic reviews. Results Broadly, the literature indicates deficits across these neurocognitive domains in EDs, though heterogeneity was noted in the magnitude of these effects, which varied to some extent across ED subtypes, sample characteristics, and methodological approaches. Discussion While these reviews have generally suggested varying patterns of neurocognitive deficits across EDs, there remain critical limitations regarding the methodological quality of these studies (e.g., the lack of prospective designs, consideration of confounding influences, or examination of interrelationships between neurocognitive domains and relationships between neurocognition and other relevant behavioral constructs). Specifically, we outline 10 key areas that are imperative to address in future research in this area in order to move our field forward.