Binge-eating disorder may be distinguished by visuospatial memory deficits

•Normal- and overweight women with Binge eating disorder and weight-matched controls were given the Rey Complex Figure test.•Normal-weight healthy women show greater immediate and delayed recall relative to overweight healthy controls.•Normal-weight healthy women show greater immediate and delayed recall relative to a normal-weight Binge-eating disorder group.•Normal-weight healthy women show greater immediate and delayed recall relative to an overweight Binge-eating disorder group.•No group differences were observed on the initial copy portion of the Rey or during recognition.

ObjectiveBinge eating disorder (BED), characterized by recurrent episodes of loss of control overeating, is highly comorbid with overweight and obesity. Both loss of control eating and higher body mass index have been associated with poor memory. The current study sought to clarify the relationships between BED, weight and memory. Specifically, visual memory was examined, given evidence of impaired visuospatial abilities in overweight individuals and little research on visual memory in BED.MethodOverweight and normal-weight women with BED and matched healthy controls were administered the Rey Complex Figure Test.ResultsPlanned contrasts revealed that normal-weight healthy controls performed better than all other groups on the immediate and delayed recall portions of the task. Performance on the immediate recall portion was better among normal-weight individuals than overweight individuals, and performance on both the immediate and delayed recall portions was better among individuals without BED than those with BED. No differences between groups were seen on the copy or recognition trials.ConclusionsVisual memory appears to be impaired among overweight participants and both normal and overweight participants with BED. This finding was specific to retrieval. Replication of this finding in BED using different measures of memory is needed.