Anorexia and
bulimia correlate with altered neural circuitry
"However, this study confirms earlier studies by our
group and others that establish a clear link between these disorders and neural
processes in the insula, an area of the brain where taste is sensed and
integrated with reward to help determine whether an individual hungry or
full."
"One possibility is that restricted eating and
weight loss occurs in anorexia because the brain fails to accurately recognize
hunger signals," said Oberndorfer. "Alternately, overeating in
bulimia could represent an exaggerated perception of hunger signals."
"It may be possible to modulate the experience by,
for example, enhancing insula activity in individuals with anorexia or
dampening the exaggerated or unstable response to food in those with
bulimia," said Kaye. Studies indicate that healthy subjects can use
real-time fMRI, biofeedback or mindfulness training to alter the brain's response
to food stimuli. For patients with anorexia who have an overly active satiety
signal in response to palatable foods, the researchers suggest bland or even
slightly aversive foods might prevent the brain's overstimulation. Medications
may also be found that enhance the reward response to food, or decrease
inhibition to food consumption in the brain's reward circuitry.”
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