The BODY-FRIEND Project: Using New Technology to Learn about How People with Anorexia Feel about Their Bodies

Despite noticeable advances, we are still far from a real understanding of AN, especially concerning how patients experience their bodies. In light of its aforementioned relevance in this pathology, we suggest a deeper investigation of this aspect by combining insights from different research fields (i.e., clinical practice and neuropsychology) and technological advances. With that in mind, the goal of the BODY-FRIEND project is to use BS to study body experience in AN from a psychological and physiological point of view. It will do this by using state-of-the-art technologies, such as VR-based FBI and physiological sensors, to learn more about the role of the frame of reference (first- or third-person perspective) and the virtual body parameters (in terms of BMI). Once these mechanisms have been better understood, it might be possible to investigate the effects of repeated BS exposure on relevant AN clinical body-related symptoms as body distortion. These data might also be used to develop machine learning models to identify the main factors implicated in the pathology and thus determine what might be the most successful intervention targets. This project will be carried out in collaboration with the Istituto Auxologico Italiano IRCCS (Italy) and the Humane Technology Lab from the Catholic University of Sacred Heart (Italy).