A major study, coordinated by neuroscientists at the University of Bath, has shown differences in brain structure between people with and without an eating disorder.
Over a quarter of a million people in the UK are affected by Anorexia. People try to keep their weight down by not consuming enough food.
Understanding why some people have an eating disorder while others don't is a mystery. The new findings, which draw on extensive analyses of brain scans taken from patients around the world, are published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
They show that people with an eating disorder have'sizeable reductions' in three measures of the brain. Reductions in brain size are thought to be related to the loss of brain cells.
Structural changes in the brain are linked to eating disorders, according to the results of a new study. According to the team, the effect sizes in their study are the largest of their kind.
There were reductions in brain size and shape between two and four times larger for people with an eating disorder. People's body mass index may be to blame for the changes in brain size.
The team stresses the importance of early treatment to help people with an eating disorder avoid long term brain changes. Cognitive behavioral therapy and weight gain are included in existing treatment. The results show the positive impact that treatment has on brain structure.
People in recovery and healthy controls were included in the study because they did not have an eating disorder. Reductions in brain structure were found to be less severe for people in recovery from an eating disorder.
Over the course of several years, we worked with research teams across the world. Being able to combine thousands of brain scans from people with an eating disorder allowed us to study the brain changes that might explain the disorder.
The reduction in brain structure that we observed in patients was less noticeable in patients already on the path to recovery. It shows that these changes might not be permanent. The brain could bounce back with the right treatment.
The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, and King's College London were involved in the research.
The team worked together as part of the eating disorders working group. The link between brain structure, function and mental health is being studied by researchers.
Paul Thompson is a professor of neurology and lead scientist for the ENIGMA Consortium. The most detailed picture to date of how an eating disorder affects the brain was created by scientists from 22 centers. The brain changes in Anorexia were more severe than in other mental illnesses. New brain maps can be used to evaluate the effects of treatments.
He said that the study shows that Anorexia affects the brain more profoundly than any other mental illness. The need for early intervention for people with eating disorders is shown in this wake-up call.
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