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. 2011 Jul;44(5):406-11.
doi: 10.1002/eat.20840. Epub 2010 May 19.

Brain tissue volume changes following weight gain in adults with anorexia nervosa

Christina A Roberto  1 , Laurel E S Mayer, Adam M Brickman, Anna Barnes, Jordan Muraskin, Lok-Kin Yeung, Jason Steffener, Melissa Sy, Joy Hirsch, Yaakov Stern, B Timothy Walsh
Affiliations

Brain tissue volume changes following weight gain in adults with anorexia nervosa

Christina A Roberto et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2011 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: To measure brain volume deficits among underweight patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) compared to control participants and evaluate the reversibility of these deficits with short-term weight restoration.

Method: Brain volume changes in gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were examined in 32 adult women with AN and compared to 21, age and body mass index-range matched control women.

Results: Patients with AN had a significant increase in GM (p = .006, η(2) = 0.14) and WM volume (p = .001, η(2) = 0.19) following weight restoration. Patients on average had lower levels of GM at low weight (647.63 ± 62.07 ml) compared to controls (679.93 ± 53.31 ml), which increased with weight restoration (662.64 ± 69.71 ml), but did not fully normalize.

Discussion: This study suggests that underweight adult patients with AN have reduced GM and WM volumes that increase with short-term weight restoration.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The graph shows mean gray matter volume for patients with anorexia nervosa and controls at scan one and scan two. Error bars represent standard deviations.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The graph shows mean white matter volume for patients with anorexia nervosa and controls at scan one and scan two. Error bars represent standard deviations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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