Kate Tchanturia

Kate Tchanturia
King's College London | KCL · Department of Psychological Medicine

Professor in Psychology of Eating Disorders ,FAED, FBPS, FHEA

About

371
Publications
186,279
Reads
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20,315
Citations
Additional affiliations
September 2018 - present
King's College London
Position
  • Professor (Full)
Description
  • 103 Denmark Hill Department Of Psychological Medicine SE58AZ
September 1988 - September 1997
Georgia State University
Position
  • Professor (Associate)
September 2010 - September 2014
Illia State University, Georgia
Position
  • Professor visiting

Publications

Publications (371)
Article
Research evidence for cognitive remediation therapy's (CRT) effectiveness for anorexia nervosa (AN) has been gathering. This approach is also increasingly being implemented in other disorders including major depressive disorder, obsessive–compulsive disorder and autistic spectrum disorder that share commonalities with AN in neuropsychological profi...
Article
Full-text available
The objectives of this study were to explore associations between autistic traits and self-reported clinical symptoms in a population with anorexia nervosa (AN). Experimental and self-report evidence reveals similarities between AN and autism spectrum condition (ASC) populations in socio-emotional and cognitive domains; this includes difficulties w...
Article
Objective: Exploring social anhedonia in eating disorders (ED) was the main objective of this study. Social anhedonia relates to a reduced feeling of pleasure from social stimulation. Researching the exact nature of problems in interpersonal relationships is an important topic for clinicians and researchers in the field. Method: The revised soci...
Article
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Objective: This review maps existing literature on the prevalence of autism and ADHD in adult patients with Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Binge Eating Disorder (BED); patient and stakeholder perspectives on this comorbidity; clinical differences in this population; and potential treatment adaptations or adjunct therapies. This is with the aim to inform...
Article
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There is a notable overlap between autism and eating disorders (EDs), and autistic individuals may experience poorer ED treatment outcomes than non-autistic peers. To make meaningful change in this field, it is imperative that we actively engage in co-production of research, however there are currently no guidelines to support co-production with au...
Article
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Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex eating disorder that often requires inpatient care, where treatment experiences are influenced by both the illness and the surrounding environment. Sensory issues in AN are increasingly acknowledged for their impact on treatment engagement and outcomes. Despite this, the ways in which the sensory lands...
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Objective Our understanding of the impact of eating disorders (ED) treatment in Autistic people remains elusive. Research has begun to explore ED treatment outcomes and experiences in this population, however current understandings are poorly integrated. The current review therefore sought to explore the impact of ED treatment on Autistic people an...
Article
Purpose of review Adult patients with severe anorexia nervosa often receive the same unsuccessful treatment without changes regarding the setting, the therapies, or nutritional interventions. Recent findings Settings where people with anorexia nervosa are treated include their general practitioner, an independent psychiatric practice, a community...
Article
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EDAC (Eating Disorders and Autism Collaborative) is an innovative project aiming to increase research capacity by supporting collaboration in the fields of eating disorders and autism. EDAC comprises four integrated workstreams to co-produce interdisciplinary research, directed by Autistic individuals with lived experience of eating disorders. Work...
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Purpose Social challenges are common in patients with eating disorders (ED). The presence of autistic characteristics often exacerbates social difficulties within this group, potentially affecting treatment outcomes. This study investigates the communication preferences, challenges, dislikes, and support needs of patients with ED, both with and wit...
Article
People with eating disorders are often placed on lengthy waitlists for treatment. This is problematic, as increased time spent on waitlists has been shown to predict dropout. We examined whether providing brief interventions to people on a waitlist improved retention or outcomes in treatment. Participants (N = 85) were referred to a university trai...
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Introduction The Pathway for Eating disorders and Autism developed from Clinical Experience (PEACE pathway) is a clinical pathway of adapted treatment for individuals with eating disorders and autism in the UK. This study aims to investigate multidisciplinary clinicians’ views of the strengths and challenges of PEACE pathway adaptations, while iden...
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Citation: Chubinidze, D.; Li, Z.; Slovak, P.; Baudinet, J.; Dufour, E.; Tchanturia, K. Introducing a Smart Toy in Eating Disorder Treatment: A Pilot Study. Nutrients 2024, 16, 467. Abstract: Individuals with eating disorders (EDs) often encounter challenges related to body image, emotional, and sensory difficulties during nutritional rehabilitation...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background: Resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (rsfMRI) differences have been reported in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, methodological issues limit inferences, the dynamic cyclic nature of the resting state signal has not been explored, neither has the association with known elevated autistic characteristics. Met...
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Background Social isolation, loneliness and difficulties in relationships are often described as a core feature of eating disorders. Based on the experimental research, we have designed one-off workshops for patients in inpatients and day care services and evaluated its acceptability and effectiveness using feedback questionnaires. Methods This na...
Article
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a serious eating disorder, characterised by problematic eating habits that cause significant nutritional deficiencies. Having only been recently acknowledged as a distinct category, there is little research regarding best practice guidelines, especially among the adult population. In addition, AR...
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Background A one-off sensory wellbeing workshop has been developed to help patients with eating disorders (ED) manage sensory sensitivities. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the outcomes of the workshop in online versus face-to-face (F2F) formats among a sample of patients with ED. Methods Cumulative link models were applied to th...
Article
Objective: Eating disorders are associated with significant illness burden and costs, yet access to evidence-based care is limited. Greater use of programme-led and focused interventions that are less resource-intensive might be part of the solution to this demand-capacity mismatch. Method: In October 2022, a group of predominantly UK-based clin...
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This study used cluster analysis to explore clinically relevant subgroups of adult patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). Patients were clustered based on their body mass index (BMI), eating disorder symptomatology, anxiety and depression symptoms and autistic characteristics. The difference between clusters in work and social functioning, duration o...
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Background Past research has indicated the presence of cognitive difficulties in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN), although it is unclear how these are experienced in real life. Moreover, it is unclear how and whether the experience of cognitive difficulties changes in nature and intensity over the course of the illness and following recovery...
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Plain English summary Problems with generating future episodic thoughts are a feature of depression, and depression is commonly present in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). In this study, the ability to remember autobiographical events and to think about events in the future was measured using a standardised task, in a group of 46 individuals...
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Introduction Previous research has explored the overlapping presentation between autism and eating disorders (ED). This study aims to summarize the clinical challenges associated with co-occurring autism and anorexia nervosa (AN) based on clinicians' case notes and minutes from case discussions, to understand how to better support people with the c...
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Background Recently, elevated levels of autistic features and autism diagnoses have been reported among people with anorexia nervosa (AN). In clinical settings high levels of autistic features have been linked to more complex, highly comorbid illness presentation and poorer treatment outcome. This study aimed to examine whether autistic features pr...
Article
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Introduction COVID19 lockdown is having a significant impact on mental health, patients with eating disorders (ED) are particularly vulnerable. Objectives 1) To explore changes in eating and other psychological features due to confinement in patients with ED from various European and Asian countries; and 2) to assess differences related to diagnos...
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Background The modulation hypothesis of facial feedback has not adequately examined how combining facial expressions and bodily postures might influence our experience of emotional stimuli. This pilot study examined a new method for manipulating both face and body together, which is important in furthering our understanding of how face and body int...
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Objective: We are pleased to introduce this special issue about Autism and Feeding and Eating Disorders, representing reflections on this complex comorbidity. Method: Contributions focussed on several main themes: (1) the definition and assessment of autism and eating disorder (ED) comorbidity; (2) the brain imaging findings of similarities and...
Preprint
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Background: Recently, elevated levels of autistic traits and autism diagnoses have been reported among people with anorexia nervosa (AN). In clinical settings high levels of autistic traits have been linked to more complex, highly comorbid illness presentation and poorer outcome. This study aimed to examine whether autistic traits predict AN sympto...
Preprint
Background: Recently, elevated levels of autistic traits and autism diagnoses have been reported among people with anorexia nervosa (AN). In clinical settings high levels of autistic traits have been linked to more complex, highly comorbid illness presentation and poorer outcome. This study aimed to examine whether autistic traits predict AN sympto...
Article
Full-text available
Background Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) is an adjunct treatment targeting set-shifting (SS) and weak central coherence (CC) thought to play a role in maintaining anorexia nervosa (AN). This study aimed to test the feasibility of brief group CRT for young people with AN in a day-patient setting using neuropsychological assessment of SS and CC...
Preprint
Objective: The aim of this study was to characterise heterogeneity in neuropsychological and socio-emotional test performance in young women with anorexia nervosa (AN) using hierarchical cluster analysis. Further, we aimed to test whether cognitive profiles were associated with differences in clinical variables (BMI, illness duration, and age at di...
Article
Full-text available
Cortical differences have been reported in Anorexia Nervosa (AN) compared with healthy controls (HC); however, it is unclear if Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) characteristics are related to these cortical differences. The aim of this study was to examine if structural measures were correlated to ASD traits in AN. In total 184 female participants pa...
Article
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Background Previous theoretical models and reviews have documented a strong connection between emotion dysregulation eating disorder (ED) psychopathology among the general and clinical populations. The aim of this review was to build on this previous work by conducting a network meta-analysis to explore associations between adaptive and maladaptive...
Article
PurposeCognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) has been used mostly in adults. Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) in anorexia nervosa (AN) have shown that CRT enhances cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking and is associated with quality-of-life improvement. More research is needed in younger populations.MethodsA single-centre feasibility RCT with y...
Article
Full-text available
Background: The COVID-19 lockdown has had a significant impact on mental health. Patients with eating disorders (ED) have been particularly vulnerable. Aims: (1) To explore changes in eating-related symptoms and general psychopathology during lockdown in patients with an ED from various European and Asian countries; and (2) to assess differences...
Article
BACKGROUND: Relatively little is known about which psychological treatment adjuncts might be helpful for supporting people with the most severe and complex forms of anorexia nervosa (AN) with very low weight and malnutrition requiring inpatient admissions, but targeting key perpetuating factors such as social emotional difficulties may be one way t...
Article
Full-text available
Research suggests a relationship between anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorder. The aim of the current study was to examine social attention in anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorder compared with age- and sex-matched typically developing groups, and to examine whether lowered social motivation could explain reductions in social atte...
Article
Background Despite a wide range of proposed risk factors and theoretical models, prediction of eating disorder (ED) onset remains poor. This study undertook the first comparison of two machine learning (ML) approaches [penalised logistic regression (LASSO), and prediction rule ensembles (PREs)] to conventional logistic regression (LR) models to enh...
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Background Definitions of recovery from an eating disorder (ED) have generally been formulated around clinical conceptualisations, rather than based on the views of patients. This paper therefore asked those with lived experience of ED for their own definitions of recovery. Method Data were collected as part of an online study looking at EDs, auti...
Article
Objective Randomised controlled trial (RCT) in adults with anorexia nervosa (AN) showed that Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) enhances cognitive flexibility, abstract thinking and quality-of-life. Despite inconsistent findings, CRT has the potential as an adjunct treatment for young people (YP) with AN. A feasibility RCT was conducted in an inpa...
Article
Full-text available
Objective Autistic people with eating disorders (EDs) may have special needs that are not met in standard ED treatment, raising the need for treatment adaptations to accommodate co-existing autism spectrum condition (ASC). Little is currently known about the nature of existing treatment options or adaptations for this population. We conducted a pre...
Preprint
Background: Previous theoretical models and reviews have documented a strong connection between emotion dysregulation eating disorder (ED) psychopathology among the general and clinical populations. The aim of this review was to build on this previous work by conducting a network meta-analysis to explore associations between specific emotion regula...
Article
Informal (unpaid) carers are an integral part of all societies and the health and social care systems in the UK depend on them. Despite the valuable contributions and key worker status of informal carers, their lived experiences, wellbeing, and needs have been neglected during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Health Policy, we bring together a broad...
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Background Individuals with anorexia nervosa have reported feelings of loneliness, social anhedonia, and interpersonal difficulties. This study sought to clarify the nature of interpersonal relationships in adults with anorexia, which may help improve existing interventions while also facilitating the attainment of something that might compete with...
Preprint
Background: Social-emotional difficulties have been proposed to play a key role in the progression of psychiatric disorders, including anorexia nervosa. The aim of the current study was to build on existing work and develop more ecologically valid measures of interpretation biases and evoked emotional responses. Methodology: 124 healthy female part...
Article
Objective The aim of this study was to characterise heterogeneity in neuropsychological and socio-emotional task performance in young women with anorexia nervosa (AN) using hierarchical cluster analysis. Further, we aimed to test whether cognitive profiles were associated with differences in clinical variables (body mass index, illness duration and...
Article
Full-text available
Objective Heightened detail-processing and low levels of central coherence are common in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) and predict poorer prognosis. However, it is unclear whether these processing styles predate the disorder or, rather, emerge during later stages of AN. The current study aimed to address this question by investigating cent...
Article
The Covid-19 pandemic posed many challenges for carers who are supporting people with comorbid eating disorders and autism. This project explored carers’ perceptions of an online peer-led carers’ group which aimed to provide support during the UK lockdowns in 2020.
Article
Full-text available
This study explores autistic women’s experiences of eating disorder services. Estimates suggest that 20%–30% of women in treatment for anorexia nervosa display diagnostic features characteristic of autism. Research suggests that autistic individuals’ needs are not being met by standard anorexia nervosa treatments. In the current study, in-depth int...
Article
Full-text available
Background Recent research suggests a link between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anorexia nervosa (AN). Individuals with AN show high scores on measures of ASD symptoms, relative to individuals without AN, however, there are currently no studies directly comparing women with AN to women with ASD. The aim of the current study was to examine pro...
Article
Background: The wellbeing of patients with eating disorders is one of the priorities in the "bigger picture" of treatment for eating disorders. Sensory soothing strategies for sensory sensitivities are supportive tools which could be useful in day-care and inpatient clinical programmes. Methods: Evaluation of multiple separate sensory wellbeing...
Article
Full-text available
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with difficulties in social and emotional functioning. A significant proportion of individuals with AN show autistic traits, which may influence social attention. This study examined attention to faces and facial features in AN, recovered AN (REC), and healthy controls, as well as relationships with comorbid psyc...
Article
Full-text available
Background Although social-emotional difficulties are believed play a key role in anorexia nervosa (AN), there is uncertainty regarding what these difficulties might look like. Previous research has largely focused on a “disease model” of social-emotional processing in AN with little attention paid to positive emotions and experiences. Therefore, t...
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Background Carers of people with eating disorders (EDs) are known to experience a lack of support, high levels of unmet needs and resulting distress. Specific support and interventions for carers may benefit both the carer, and their loved one with an ED. Individuals with co-occurring autism and EDs may present with additional needs and difficultie...
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Full-text available
Social–emotional processing difficulties have been reported in Anorexia Nervosa (AN), yet the neural correlates remain unclear. Previous neuroimaging work is sparse and has not used functional connectivity paradigms to more fully explore the neural correlates of emotional difficulties. Fifty‐seven acutely unwell AN (AAN) women, 60 weight‐recovered...
Book
Full-text available
Autism and Eating disorder comorbidity clinical pathway developed collaboratively by patients, carers and multidisciplinary clinical team.
Article
Anorexia nervosa (AN) and autism share a number of common features, including restrictive eating, cognitive rigidity, and social difficulties. However, these similarities make distinguishing between co-occurring autism and AN, and AN only, complicated. Diagnostic tools designed to identify autism in this population may not differentiate between fea...
Article
Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of evidenced‐based psychological treatments (specifically, Cognitive‐Behaviour Therapy for Eating Disorders [CBT‐ED] and Maudsley Anorexia Nervosa Treatment for Adults [MANTRA]) for a transdiagnostic eating disorder population in a routine clinical setting. In particular, it aimed to determin...
Article
Full-text available
This study explores autistic women's experiences of eating disorder services. About 20%-30% of people with anorexia nervosa are also autistic, and current treatments seem not to work as well for them. We interviewed 15 autistic women with experience of anorexia nervosa, 12 parents of autistic women with anorexia nervosa, and 11 healthcare professio...
Article
This study explores autistic women's experiences of eating disorder services. Estimates suggest that 20%-30% of women in treatment for anorexia nervosa display diagnostic features characteristic of autism. Research suggests that autistic individuals' needs are not being met by standard anorexia nervosa treatments. In the current study, in-depth int...
Article
Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and anorexia nervosa (AN) are characterised by body image disturbance. It has been suggested that poor global integration in visual processing may underlie distorted body image, but empirical studies have yielded mixed results. The current study involved two meta-analyses aimed at examining the extent to which poor gl...
Chapter
This book explores the link between autism and eating disorders through testimonies from practitioners, service users and carers. Combining research findings, case studies and first-hand accounts, it provides insights into how individuals on the autism spectrum can be supported towards full recovery from an eating disorder. Edited by the lead Clini...
Chapter
This book explores the link between autism and eating disorders through testimonies from practitioners, service users and carers. Combining research findings, case studies and first-hand accounts, it provides insights into how individuals on the autism spectrum can be supported towards full recovery from an eating disorder. Edited by the lead Clini...
Chapter
This book explores the link between autism and eating disorders through testimonies from practitioners, service users and carers. Combining research findings, case studies and first-hand accounts, it provides insights into how individuals on the autism spectrum can be supported towards full recovery from an eating disorder. Edited by the lead Clini...
Chapter
This book explores the link between autism and eating disorders through testimonies from practitioners, service users and carers. Combining research findings, case studies and first-hand accounts, it provides insights into how individuals on the autism spectrum can be supported towards full recovery from an eating disorder. Edited by the lead Clini...
Chapter
This book explores the link between autism and eating disorders through testimonies from practitioners, service users and carers. Combining research findings, case studies and first-hand accounts, it provides insights into how individuals on the autism spectrum can be supported towards full recovery from an eating disorder. Edited by the lead Clini...
Chapter
This book explores the link between autism and eating disorders through testimonies from practitioners, service users and carers. Combining research findings, case studies and first-hand accounts, it provides insights into how individuals on the autism spectrum can be supported towards full recovery from an eating disorder. Edited by the lead Clini...
Chapter
This book explores the link between autism and eating disorders through testimonies from practitioners, service users and carers. Combining research findings, case studies and first-hand accounts, it provides insights into how individuals on the autism spectrum can be supported towards full recovery from an eating disorder. Edited by the lead Clini...
Article
Full-text available
Objective This systematic review and meta‐analysis compared previously documented inefficiencies in central coherence and set‐shifting between people with nonunderweight eating disorders (bulimia nervosa and binge‐eating disorder) and people with anorexia nervosa. Method We performed random‐effects meta‐analyses on 16 studies (1,112 participants)...
Article
Full-text available
Autistic women are overrepresented among people in treatment for Anorexia Nervosa (AN). The current study aimed to: (1) better understand how AN develops and persists in autistic individuals from the perspective of autistic women, parents and healthcare professionals; (2) derive a theoretical model of restrictive eating difficulties in autism. We c...
Article
Full-text available
Background: Audit data is important in creating a clear picture of clinical reality in clinical services, and evaluating treatment outcomes. This paper explored the data from an audit of a large national eating disorder (ED) service and evaluated the outcome of inpatient and day treatment programmes for patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) with and...
Article
Background: Relatively little is known about which psychological treatment adjuncts might be helpful for supporting people with the most severe and complex forms of anorexia nervosa (AN) with very low weight and malnutrition requiring inpatient admissions, but targeting key perpetuating factors such as social emotional difficulties may be one way...
Book
Full-text available
Supporting Autistic People with Eating Disorders: A Guide to Adapting Treatment and Supporting Recovery Paperback – 18 Mar. 2021
Article
Full-text available
Huddles are brief, time-limited, focused meetings to help organize and support clinical teams. Huddles have demonstrated their value and transferable benefits across a range of settings. Based on their transferable nature, their potential could be unacknowledged as a clinical implementation technique, particularly in specific subgroups of patients...