Autism spectrum disorder and anorexia nervosa: Investigating the behavioural and neurocognitive overlap

This study examined 327 adults across autism, anorexia nervosa, comorbid autism-anorexia, and control groups using self-report questionnaires and performance-based cognitive tasks. Clinical participants showed greater mentalising difficulties and repetitive behaviours than controls, with eating disorder symptoms predicting cognitive set-shifting errors, suggesting distinct neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the overlap between these conditions.