Habits and Persistent Food Restriction in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa: A Scoping Review Rocha Conceição, Ismara Santos García Burgos, David Cavalcanti de Macêdo, Patrícia Fortes Magalhães Nepomuceno, Carina Marcia Miranda Pereira, Emile de Magalhães Cunha, Carla Ferreira Ribeiro, Camila Duarte Portela de Santana, Mônica Leila Eating disorders Cognitive neuroscience Habit The aetiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) presents a puzzle for researchers. Recent research has sought to understand the behavioural and neural mechanisms of these patients’ persistent choice of calorie restriction. This scoping review aims to map the literature on the contribution of habitbased learning to food restriction in AN. PRISMA-ScR guidelines were adopted. The search strategy was applied to seven databases and to grey literature. A total of 35 studies were included in this review. The results indicate that the habit-based learning model has gained substantial attention in current research, employing neuroimaging methods, scales, and behavioural techniques. Food choices were strongly associated with dorsal striatum activity, and habitual food restriction based on the self-report restriction index was associated with clinical impairment in people chronically ill with restricting AN. High-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) and Regulating Emotions and Changing Habits (REaCH) have emerged as potential treatments. Future research should employ longitudinal studies to investigate the time required for habit-based learning and analyse how developmental status, such as adolescence, influences the role of habits in the progression and severity of diet-related illnesses. Ultimately, seeking effective strategies to modify persistent dietary restrictions controlled by habits remains essential. 2024-04-03T11:00:13Z 2024-04-03T11:00:13Z 2023-10-25 journal article Conceição, I.S.R.; Garcia-Burgos, D.; de Macêdo, P.F.C.; Nepomuceno, C.M.M.; Pereira, E.M.; Cunha, C.d.M.; Ribeiro, C.D.F.; de Santana, M.L.P. Habits and Persistent Food Restriction in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa: A Scoping Review. Behav. Sci. 2023, 13, 883. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13110883 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/90362 10.3390/bs13110883 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ open access Atribución 4.0 Internacional MDPI