Biological psychiatry
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Biological psychiatry · Apr 2015
Global cortical thinning in acute anorexia nervosa normalizes following long-term weight restoration.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a serious eating disorder characterized by self-starvation, extreme weight loss, and alterations in brain structure. Structural magnetic resonance imaging studies have documented brain volume reductions in acute AN, but it is unclear whether they are 1) regionally specific, or 2) reversible following weight restoration. Here, we measured cortical thickness (CT) for the first time in AN. ⋯ Structural brain anomalies in AN as expressed in CT and subcortical volume are primarily the consequence of malnutrition and unlikely to reflect premorbid trait markers or permanent scars, but longitudinal data are needed.