Here are the brief descriptions on the projects that I am currently working on at Columbia Center for Eating Disorders.

2023

Differences in White Matter Pathways Before and After Weight-Restoration

Mentored by E. Caitlin Llyod, Ph.D.
#AN #DTI #Tractography

Past studies show that anorexia nervosa (AN) is related to many symptoms, including being extremely underweight and exhibiting brain abnoramlities. While patients can possibly be weight restored, it is unclear if some brain abnormality can be reversed. Therefore, we aim to examine the differences in the whole brain strucutal connectivity before and after weight-restoration

2022

Self-Referential Processing Bias in Anorexia Nervosa

Mentored by Lisa M. Ranzenhofer, Ph.D.
#AN #HDDM #Self-Referential Encoding Task #Affective Bias

Past studies show that anorexia nervosa (AN) is related to lower self-esteem (i.e., more negative self-evaluation), however this has been studied only minimally outside the self-report domain. To further elucidate the relationship between self-evaluation and AN, we used the self-referential encoding task to probe self-evaluation at the neurocognitive level. We compared task performances including positive and negative words endorsement, recall, recognition, reaction time, and processing bias. A hierarchical drift-diffusion model was used to compute drift rates, reflecting participants’ decision-making process in responding to negative and positive self-relevant words. Indicators of self-related processing bias differentiate AN and HC, with AN exhibiting more negative and less positive self-evaluation.