Systematic review reveals prefrontal alterations and executive deficits in avoidant restrictive food intake disorder, suggesting distinct neurocognitive targets.
Key Points
To synthesize and evaluate current evidence on the neurobiological and cognitive correlates associated with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).
Conducted a systematic review following PRISMA guidelines across Cochrane, Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and dissertation databases.
Identified and analyzed 12 qualifying studies comprising a pooled total of N = 548 participants with ARFID.
Neurobiological studies (k = 6) demonstrated structural and functional alterations in prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, along with midline diencephalic alterations in acute cases.
Cognitive studies (k = 6) consistently identified impairments across executive functions, specifically involving cognitive flexibility, response inhibition, impulsivity, central coherence, and visual-spatial processing.