Learning deficits in adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

Learning ability was examined in a group of female adolescents hospitalized with anorexia nervosa, and in groups of demographically similar depressed inpatients, diabetic outpatients, and healthy normal subjects. Results showed that the group of anorectic females was significantly impaired on a difficult symbol-digit paired-associate learning test, but did not differ from control subjects on measures of attention, immediate or delayed visual memory, and psychomotor ability. Whereas performance on the Symbol-Digit Learning Test was found to be independent of acute weight loss at the time of testing, a significant relationship was obtained between learning ability and duration of illness.