New Research Explores the Neurocognitive Mechanisms Underpinning Eating Disorders

At the Australian Eating Disorders Research & Translation Centre’s May Seminar Series, A/Prof Erin Reilly and Dr Simar Singh from University of California, San Francisco presented emerging research examining the neurocognitive mechanisms that may underpin eating disorders across diagnostic categories.

Here's a quick overview:

What does this new evidence show?

Their presentation, From Circuits to Symptoms: Neurocognitive Mechanisms of Transdiagnostic Eating Pathology, explored growing evidence that eating disorders may share common underlying cognitive and neural processes, despite differences in outward symptom presentation.

The seminar focused on a transdiagnostic approach, which moves beyond traditional diagnostic categories such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder to better understand the shared mechanisms that may contribute to eating pathology.

Decision-making and neurocognitive processes

A key area of discussion centred on executive functioning, including cognitive flexibility, inhibition, and set-shifting. Difficulties in these areas may contribute to rigid thinking patterns and rule-bound behaviours often observed in eating disorders. The presenters also explored reinforcement learning and reward processing, highlighting how differences in learning from reward and punishment may influence the persistence of restrictive eating, binge eating, and compensatory behaviours over time.

Importantly, the session also examined overlap between eating disorders, anxiety, and depressive disorders, pointing toward shared brain–behaviour pathways that may help explain high rates of comorbidity across mental health conditions.

What this means for the field

The research presented reflects broader movement within the field toward precision-informed and mechanism-based approaches to care. By identifying neurocognitive profiles linked to symptom patterns and treatment response, this work may ultimately support more targeted interventions and improved long-term outcomes for individuals experiencing eating disorders.

A recording of the seminar is available for those who were unable to attend live, or who would like to revisit the discussion:

REVISIT HERE >