Structural neuroimaging in patients with anorexia nervosa

Abstract

The paper analyzes domestic and foreign literature on aspects of diagnosis, pathogenesis, neuroimaging data in patients with anorexia nervosa. The results of the examination of the brain of patients with anorexia nervosa using magnetic resonance imaging 43 patients with anorexia nervosa aged 14 to 19 years were examined. The control group consisted of 31 healthy volunteers. Post-processing was carried out using MR voxel-based morphometry. The total volumes of the brain, as well as the volumes of various structures were analyzed in patients with anorexia nervosa in comparison with healthy volunteers. In general, patients with AN showed an increase in the total amount of CSF, a decrease in the volume of gray matter, mainly due to the cortex of the left hemisphere, and white matter, and there was no statistically significant ventriculodilatation, i. e. there is an expansion of external liquor spaces. As a result of the study, MR-morphometric analysis revealed significant differences in the thickness of the left hemisphere cortex, in absence of differences in the thickness of the right hemisphere cortex. At the same time, in patients with anorexia was detected a decrease in the thickness of precuneus cortex, superior frontal and anterior medial cortex, precentral, inferior temporal, inferior parietal and lateral occipital cortex. And the insula cortex in patients with anorexia was significantly thicker than in the control group.

Keywords

• anorexia nervosa
• magnetic resonance imaging
• voxel morphometry
• neuroimaging