State or trait: the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa — contributions of a functional magnetic resonance imaging study

Abstract

Plain English summary There is abundant evidence of structural and functional brain alterations during the acute stage of anorexia nervosa (AN), although affected brain areas differ based on various study methodologies. Meanwhile, investigations indicate that brain structure normalizes with weight and clinical restitution. The current cross-sectional investigation examines acutely ill AN patients, healthy controls, i.e. non-patients (NP) and well-recovered individuals (REC), with respect to brain function. Functional cerebral responses of participants exposed to food pictures were investigated. Neither in terms of function nor emotional experience of food stimuli, the REC differed from the NP group. This study points to brain function normalizing with clinical and weight restoration, which should be verified in intra-individual longitudinal studies.

Keywords

• Anorexia nervosa
• Recovery
• State
• Trait
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging