Browsing by Autor "Laura Crucianelli"

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Altering body-representation through non-naturalistic sounds: study protocol for an experimental study in a subclinical eating disorders sample
(Research Square (United States), 2022) Sergio Navas-León; Luis Morales; Milagrosa Sánchez-Martín; Laura Crucianelli; Nadia Bianchi‐Berthouze; María de las Mercedes Borda Mas; Ana Tajadura‐Jiménez
Abstract Background Experimental research based on bodily illusions suggests that people with eating disorders (EDs) might have impairments in visual, interoceptive, proprioceptive, and tactile perception, potentially underpinning altered multisensory integration processes. Along this line, research indicates that people with EDs show abnormalities in integrating multisensory visuo-tactile signals, which might contribute to the development of body image disturbances in EDs. More recently, an altered integration of auditory signals related to body weight has been also shown for people with EDs. However, it remains unclear whether these impairments extend to any auditory signals, even if not related to body weight. To fill the gap, the present study will investigate whether participants with ED symptomatology and control participants differ in two auditory feedback tasks which will involve integration of auditory and proprioceptive cues using artificial non-naturalistic sounds. We will test two different body parts (i.e., fingers and waist) which have different levels of emotional saliency for people with EDs. Methods Recruitment will be through convenience sampling. The EDE-Q questionnaire will be administered as a screening tool to split the sample into participants with and without ED symptomatology. The strength of both illusions will be measured implicitly with estimations of body part position and size, and explicitly with self-report questionnaires. As a secondary aim, regression analysis will be carried out to test the predictive role of susceptibility for both illusions on ED symptomatology, interoceptive body awareness and sensory-processing sensitivity. Discussion Our study might contribute to our understanding of the aetiology of body image disturbances. The results may lay the ground for novel clinical interventions which aim to improve symptoms at the early stages of the illness.
From ears to waist: the influence of non-naturalistic sounds on body perception in relation to eating disorders symptomatology
(2026) Sergio Navas-León; Ana Tajadura-Jiménez; Milagrosa Sánchez-Martín; Laura Crucianelli; Luis Morales
<title>Abstract</title> Background People with clinical and subclinical eating disorders (EDs) show abnormalities in integrating multisensory bodily auditory information, which may contribute to the development and maintenance of body image disturbance. However, it remains unclear whether these impairments are specific to bodily auditory signals or extend to other auditory cues, and whether they differentially affect body parts depending on emotional salience. Methods Eighty-seven participants were recruited and allocated to either a subclinical ED group or a control group based on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). We assessed the strength of two auditory-driven body illusions: a finger position illusion (Experiment 1) and a waist size illusion (Experiment 2). Illusion strength was measured using implicit indices (estimates of finger position and waist size) and explicit indices (self-report questionnaires). As a secondary aim, we examined individual differences in interoceptive awareness and sensory-processing sensitivity. Results Both groups experienced the finger illusion, with no between-group differences on implicit or explicit measures. In contrast, the subclinical ED group did not show a waist-shrinking effect in response to sound, whereas the control group did. Discussion These findings suggest that auditory-driven updating of body representation may be selectively altered for emotionally salient body parts in individuals with elevated ED symptomatology. The pattern also supports the possibility that attitudinal factors may exert a stronger influence on body image distortions than purely perceptual factors. Future studies should further validate the waist illusion as a tool to target body image disturbances and explore its potential as a complementary component in cognitive-behavioural interventions. Trial Registration https//link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40337023007494