Impaired Set-Shifting Ability in Patients with Eating Disorders, Which Is Not Moderated by Their Catechol-O-Methyltransferase Val158Met Genotype

YoulRi Kim,JiEun Kim,MiHyun Kim 대한신경정신의학회 2010 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.7 No.4

The aim of this study was to examine the set-shifting ability in women with both anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) and to investigate whether it is contributed by the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met genotype. A total of 102 Korean participants-40 women with lifetime AN, 28 women with lifetime BN, and 34 healthy women of comparable age and intelligence quotientwere examined. A neuropsychological battery of tests was applied and blood samples were obtained for COMT Val158Met genotyping. Set-shifting impairments Trail Making Test (TMT, Part B) were found in patients with AN and BN, respectively. Furthermore, the eating disorders were also linked to deficits in attentional mechanisms (TMT, Part A) and motor skills (Finger Tapping Test). Finally, set-shifting and its link to eating disorders were not moderated by COMT Val158Met genotype.

Medical Findings in Women with Anorexia Nervosa in a Korean Population

YoulRi Kim,MyungHa Son,JongChun Nah,HyunAh Park 대한신경정신의학회 2013 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.10 No.2

Objective-Eating disorders are a common clinical problem among young women in Asian countries. The aim of this study is to determine the medical effects of anorexia nervosa (AN) in the Korean population. Methods-We comprehensively investigated medical complications including haemodynamic, haematologic, endocrine, and bone density abnormalities in 67 Korean women with AN, together with 194 healthy Korean women of comparable age with a cross-sectional design. Results-In AN, 36.9% were anaemic, 50.8% were leukopenic, 35.5% were hypoproteinemic, 7.9% were hypokalemic, 9.5% had increased alanine aminotransferase, 6.3% were hyperbilirubinemia, 14.5% were hypercholesterolemia, 14.8% had decreased triiodothyronine. Osteopenia at any one site was identified in 43.3% and an additional 13.4% had osteoporosis. The lowest-ever body mass index was the main determinant of bone mineral density. Conclusion-Our data in Korean patients with AN show high frequencies of laboratory abnormalities for medical complications. This study emphasizes the importance of recognizing AN as a medical risk in young Korean women.

Childhood Features which Correlated with the Evolving Course of Anorexia Nervosa

YoulRi Kim,Laura Southgate 대한신경정신의학회 2007 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.4 No.1

Objective-The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which the childhood features correlate with the evolving course of anorexia nervosa (AN). Methods-All participants with a lifetime diagnosis of AN (restricting or binge purging subtype) were from our volunteer database maintained by the eating disorders research register at Institute of Psychiatry in London. By 3 years after entry to the register, 65 participants continued to fulfill the criteria for AN, 40 participants had moved to develop a bulimic spectrum disorder, and 37 participants had remitted. We performed comprehensive assessements of the developmental factors based on an adapted form of the McKnight Risk Factor Scale to identify which features correlate with the course of AN. Results-Those subjects with restricting AN were more likely to continue their disease. Those with binge purging AN were more likely to undergo a later transition to a bulimic spectrum disorder. Those with continued AN were less likely to report emotional overeating in childhood. Those whose disease transformed into a bulimic spectrum disorder were more likely to have parents or adults concerned with thinness and to experience high parental expectations. Conclusions-There were only a few differences in the important childhood factors between the groups, viz. emotional eating, adults concerned with thinness, and parental expectations. The new instrument which we used to measure the childhood factors is a valuable one to assess a broad range of developmental feasures for AN.

Intranasal Oxytocin Lessens the Attentional Bias to Adult Negative Faces: A Double Blind within-Subject Experiment

YoulRi Kim,SeungMin Oh,Freya Corfield,DaWoon Jeong,EunYoung Jang,Janet Treasure 대한신경정신의학회 2004 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.1 No.2

Objective-Oxytocin is a neuropeptide that is involved in social emotional processing. A leading hypothesis is that oxytocin facilitates positive prosocial behaviors; the peptide may also play a more general role in inhibiting withdrawal-related social behaviors. The present study examined these possibilities. Methods-A double-blind, placebo controlled crossover design was used with 31 healthy women. Forty-five minutes following the administration of 40 IU of intranasal oxytocin or a placebo, the participants were presented with two dot probe tests with pairs of face stimuli depicting emotional and neutral faces in adults. Results-Oxytocin specifically reduced the attention bias toward the location of the faces of adults showing negative emotions, particularly in the case of disgust. Oxytocin did not enhance the attentional bias toward adult happy faces. The effect of oxytocin toward adult negative emotion was correlated with the sensitivity of the drive in the behavioral motivational system. Conclusion-Oxytocin reduces attention to negative social emotions in adults, which supports oxytocin serves to inhibit withdrawal-related social behaviour.

Art Therapy: Another Tool for the Treatment of Anorexia Nervosa

HaeYoung Jeong,YoulRi Kim 대한신경정신의학회 2006 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.3 No.1

Objective: To introduce art therapy as a psychological approach, with the aim of helping individuals with anorexia nervosa to achieve body/self-awareness and a secure sense of identity. Method: Case study, in which analysis of the psychological improvement is followed by a focus on reducing risk, encouraging weight gain and healthy eating, reducing other symptoms related to anorexia nervosa, and facilitating psychological and physical recovery. Results: This individual with anorexia nervosa evidence good improvement following a brief intervention with art therapy treatment combined with other multimodal approach. Conclusion: This case report warrants more controlled research into the evidence-based treatment of art therapy in anorexia nervosa.

Relationship between Personality and Insomnia in Panic Disorder Patients

HaeRan Na,EunHo Kang,BumHee Yu,JongMin Woo,YoulRi Kim,SeungHwan Lee,EuiJung Kim,SangYeol Lee,SangKeun Chung 대한신경정신의학회 2011 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.8 No.2

Objective-Panic disorder (PD) is frequently comorbid with insomnia, which could exacerbate panic symptoms and contribute to PD relapse. Research has suggested that characteristics are implicated in both PD and insomnia. However, there are no reports examining whether temperament and character affect insomnia in PD. Thus, we examined the relationship between insomnia and personality ch-aracteristics in PD patients. Methods-Participants were 101 patients, recruited from 6 university hospitals in Korea, who met the DSM-IV-TR criteria for PD. We as-sessed sleep outcomes using the sleep items of 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17)(item 4=onset latency, item 5= middle awakening, and item 6=early awakening) and used the Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised-Short to assess personality characteristics. To examine the relationship between personality and insomnia, we used analysis of variance with age, sex, and severity of depression (total HAMD scores minus sum of the three sleep items) as the covariates. Results-There were no statistical differences (p>0.1) in demographic and clinical data between patients with and without insomnia. Initial insomnia (delayed sleep onset) correlated to a high score on the temperamental dimension of novelty seeking 3 (NS3)(F1,96=6.93, p=0.03). There were no statistical differences (p>0.1) in NS3 between patients with and without middle or terminal insomnia. Conclusion-The present study suggests that higher NS3 is related to the development of initial insomnia in PD and that temperament and character should be considered when assessing sleep problems in PD patients.