We will recruit a total of 100 patients with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa in the university hospital of Montpellier : 50 patients with an history of psychological trauma and 50 patients without any history of psychological trauma~Participation consists of a half-day visit. Patients will perform clinical and neuropsychological assessments and an exposition test. During this test, participants will be exposed, for 7 minutes, to neutral, positive or negative emotional photos. Heart rate variability will be determined through a Biopac MP160 before, during and after this event. Saliva samples to measure kynurenin, tryptophan, substance P and neurokinin-1 will be collected before and directly after the test.
Recent studies suggest that patients with an history of trauma may represent a specific subtype of anorexia nervosa (AM) underlined by specific neurobiological and psychopathological mechanisms. Thus, AM-T subjects would manifest cognitive (specific difficulties in executive functions), emotional (emotional disruption, impulsivity, etc.) and neurobiological (secretion of kynurenine and neurokinins in the face of stress) caracteristics different from those of AM subjects.