Cognitive correlates of Food and Alcohol Disturbance: an integrated neuropsychological exploration
Abstract
Food and Alcohol Disturbance (FAD) is a combination of problematic alcohol use and disordered eating behaviors in which individuals modify their eating habits to enhance alcohol intoxication and/or compensate alcohol-related caloric intakes. FAD is prevalent in youth, being reported in more than 50% of University students consuming alcohol. While the biopsychosocial correlates of FAD are documented, its specific cognitive counterparts remain unexplored, despite a large literature describing the distinct neurocognitive consequences of alcohol consumption and eating disorders. We hence determined whether FAD is associated with cognitive impairments in University students and examined whether different FAD subdimensions relate to distinct cognitive profiles. We assessed FAD in 130 University students (through the CEBRACS scale) and tested them using an extensive neuropsychological battery (measuring visuospatial abilities, episodic memory and executive functions). We first compared cognitive performances between FAD/non-FAD students, and then conducted multivariate regression analyses identifying the variation of cognitive profiles across CEBRACS subscales. The general comparison between FAD/non-FAD students did not reveal significant differences. Conversely, CEBRACS subscales analyses identified specific patterns as (1) dietary restraint was associated with poorer visuospatial abilities and verbal episodic memory; (2) purging behaviors were associated with lower executive functioning but increased visual episodic memory; (3) extreme fasting and self-induced vomiting were associated with poorer visual episodic memory performance but higher executive functioning. These findings suggest that FAD is an umbrella term masking various cognitive profiles according to the distinct eating behaviors involved, and thus highlight the importance of considering the subcomponents of FAD when exploring its neurocognitive correlates.
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