Pilot study of a water load test as a measure of gastric interoception in anorexia nervosa.

Research and clinical experience suggest that individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) have deficits in gastric interoception, which has been hypothesized to maintain restrictive eating. Behavioral water load tasks (WLTs) have the capability to noninvasively assess gastric interoception; however, to date, no studies have examined WLTs in AN. Thus, the present proof-of-concept pilot study explored the preliminary validity of a WLT in individuals with AN.