Memory for proprioceptive targets in bulimia nervosa

Objective: Disorders of body representation are reported in bulimia nervosa. Body representation is given by the integration and synthesis of multiple sensory inputs, which include proprioceptive, vestibular, tactile and visual information. The present study aimed to investigate whether a disorder of proprioceptive processing could be observed in bulimia nervosa. Methods: Bulimic patients and healthy participants were asked to remember the location of proprioceptive presented targets. We measured constant, variable and absolute distance and direction errors. Results: Results showed an increase of variable distance and direction errors, and absolute direction error, in bulimic patients with respect to healthy participants. Conclusions: The reduced efficiency in storing of proprioceptive information could contribute to the disorder of body representation in bulimia nervosa.