Adolescents newly diagnosed with eating disorders have structural differences in brain regions linked with eating disorder symptoms
Engelsk titel: Adolescents newly diagnosed with eating disorders have structural differences in brain regions linked with eating disorder symptoms
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Författare:
Solstrand Dahlberg, Linda
;
Wiemerslage, Lyle
;
Swenne, Ingemar
;
Larsen, Anna
;
Stark, Julia
;
Rask-Andersen, Mathias
;
Salonen-Ros, Helena
;
Larsson, Elna-Marie
;
Schiöth,Helgi B
;
Brooks, Samantha J
Email: linda.solstrand.dahlberg@neuro.uu.se
Språk: Eng
Antal referenser: 48
Dokumenttyp:
Artikel
UI-nummer: 17060122
Sammanfattning
Background: Adults with eating disorders (ED) show brain volume reductions in the frontal, insular,
cingulate, and parietal cortices, as well as differences in subcortical regions associated with reward
processing. However, little is known about the structural differences in adolescents with behavioural
indications of early stage ED.
Aim: This is the first study to investigate structural brain changes in adolescents newly diagnosed with
ED compared to healthy controls (HC), and to study whether ED cognitions correlate with structural
changes in adolescents with ED of short duration.
Methods: Fifteen adolescent females recently diagnosed with ED, and 28 age-matched HC individuals,
were scanned with structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Whole-brain and region-of-interest
analyses were conducted using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). ED cognitions were measured with
self-report questionnaires and working memory performance was measured with a neuropsychological
computerized test.
Results and conclusions: The left superior temporal gyrus had a smaller volume in adolescents with
ED than in HC, which correlated with ED cognitions (concerns about eating, weight, and shape).
Working memory reaction time correlated positively with insula volumes in ED participants, but not
HC. In ED, measurements of restraint and obsession was negatively correlated with temporal gyrus volumes,
and positively correlated with cerebellar and striatal volumes. Thus, adolescents with a recent
diagnosis of ED had volumetric variations in brain areas linked to ED cognitions, obsessions, and
working memory. The findings emphasize the importance of early identification of illness, before
potential long-term effects on structure and behaviour occur.