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Review
. 2025 Oct;37(10):e70070.
doi: 10.1111/jne.70070. Epub 2025 Jul 23.

Exploring the link between dopamine dysregulation and eating disorders: A narrative review

Zoaib Habib Tharwani  1 , Sean Kaisser Shaeen  2 , Komal Zahid  3 , Shahzaib Ahmed  4 , Rania Naqrashi  5 , Amir Murtaza  6 , Sanila Mughal  1 , Muhammad Hasanain  1 , Muhammad Umair Anjum  1 , Mohammed Mahmmoud Fadelallah Eljack  7   8 , Syeda Wardah Zaidi  1
Affiliations
Review

Exploring the link between dopamine dysregulation and eating disorders: A narrative review

Zoaib Habib Tharwani et al. J Neuroendocrinol. 2025 Oct.

Abstract

The prevalence of eating disorders (ED), such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorders, is on the rise, and it is imperative to explore the pathophysiological aspects and associations of these disorders to provide better and precise treatment. Dopamine is an essential hormone and a neurotransmitter involved in an array of processes and pathways. Disruption of any of the dopamine pathways can lead to diseases such as Parkinson's, Huntington's, schizophrenia, or anhedonia. The mesolimbic pathway of dopamine has a special association with the feeding behavior of a person, and disruption of this pathway has been shown to be associated with ED. In this article, we comprehensively assess the relation between dopamine and ED and discuss the clinical implications involving the pharmacological associations of drugs influencing dopamine levels and their impact on the treatment of ED.

Keywords: anorexia nervosa; binge eating disorder; bulimia nervosa; dopamine; eating disorders.

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References

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