The objective of this study is to determine (a) if decision making
ability is impaired in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and in people
with good recovery from AN and (b) whether any impairment in decision
making is associated with alterations in skin conductance responses (SCR).
Patients with AN (n = 29), healthy controls comparable in age and
IQ (HC, n = 29), and women long term recovered from AN
(n = 14), completed the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) while their SCR
were measured. AN patients performed poorly in the IGT compared to the HC
and to the recovered AN participants. AN patients had decreased
anticipatory SCR prior to choosing cards and reduced SCR after losses
compared to HC. IGT performance and the SCR of recovered AN participants
did not differ from the HC. Decision making ability is impaired in AN. It
is associated with a significantly attenuated SCR. Neither of these
features are found in recovered AN. The association between impaired
decision making ability and a decreased autonomic response is consistent
with the predictions of the Somatic Marker Hypothesis. (JINS,
2007, 13, 635–641.)