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Childhood‐onset anorexia nervosa: Towards identifying a biological substrate
Author(s) -
Gordon Isky,
Lask Bryan,
BryantWaugh Rachel,
Christie Deborah,
Timimi Sami
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199709)22:2<159::aid-eat7>3.0.co;2-e
Subject(s) - anorexia nervosa , psychology , developmental psychology , anorexia , psychotherapist , psychiatry , eating disorders , medicine
Objective The etiology of anorexia nervosa is not fully understood, but is probably multifactorial, including a biological substrate. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible underlying biological substrate. Method: Fifteen children and adolescents aged 8–16 years underwent regional cerebral blood blow radioisotope scans. All fulfilled DSM‐IV criteria for anorexia nervosa. Three of the girls had a follow‐up scan when they had regained their lost weight. Results: Thirteen of the 15 patients had unilateral temporal lobe hypoperfusion, 8 on the left side and 5 on the right. The abnormality persisted in the 3 girls who had a follow‐up scan after weight restoration. Discussion: This is the first report of reduced regional cerebral blood flow in childhood‐onset anorexia nervosa, and suggests an underlying primary functional abnormality. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 22: 159–165, 1997.