Brain Serotonin Could
Link Anxiety, Anorexia

Women with a certain type of anorexia nervosa show altered serotonin activity in their brains, a finding doctors believe could link the eating disorder to anxiety levels.

"There are no proven treatments for anorexia nervosa, and this illness has the highest mortality of any psychiatric disorder," noted researchers at the University of Pittsburgh. "These data offer the promise of a new understanding of the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa, and new drug and psychological treatment targets."

The Pittsburgh team found increased serotonin activity -- a chemical involved in communication between nerve cells -- in several brain areas of women who had recovered from bulimia-type anorexia nervosa, according to the study published in the September issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

In bulimia-type anorexia, sufferers alternate between restrictive eating and episodes of binge-eating and purging.

The investigators speculate that altered serotonin activity could predate the onset of anorexia.

Previous evidence has suggested altered serotonin activity can contribute to appetite alteration in anorexia, as well as playing a role in anxious, obsessional behaviors and extremes of impulse control.

Reference Source 101
September 6, 2005

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