Food deprivation fails to affect preoccupation with thoughts of food in anorectic patients.

OBJECTIVES

Memory for food words was used to investigate effects of hunger and satiety on information processing in acute and recovered anorectics.

DESIGN

In Expt 1, recall of words related to food and unrelated to food was compared between anorectics and controls. In Expt 2, the same procedure was undertaken in recovered anorectics and controls.

METHODS

Tests were performed in each subject after starvation and after food intake.

RESULTS

When hungry, recall of food words did not differ between anorectics and controls. During satiety, however, anorectics recalled significantly more food words than controls. Recall of food unrelated words did not differ between both groups. Recall in recovered anorectics was comparable with that in acute anorectics.

CONCLUSIONS

Results indicate that cognitive processing of food stimuli does not depend on food deprivation in anorectics.