gms | German Medical Science

4. Wissenschaftlicher Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Essstörungen e. V. (DGESS)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Essstörungen e. V.

20.03. - 22.03.2014, Leipzig

Article

Send article

Brain activity in response to different taste stimuli in subjects suffering from Anorexia Nervosa in comparison to healthy controls

Meeting Abstract

Search Medline for

  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Nathalie Burkert - Medical University Graz, Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Graz, Austria
  • author Karl Koschutnig - Karl Franzens University Graz, Institute of Psychology, Graz, Austria
  • author Franz Ebner - Medical University Graz, Clinic of Neuroradiology, Graz, Austria
  • author Wolfgang Freidl - Medical University Graz, Institute of Social Medicine and Epidemiology, Graz, Austria

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Essstörungen e.V. (DGESS). 4. Wissenschaftlicher Kongress der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Essstörungen. Leipzig, 20.-22.03.2014. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2014. Doc14dgess059

doi: 10.3205/14dgess059, urn:nbn:de:0183-14dgess0591

Published: March 17, 2014

© 2014 Burkert et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.

Outline

Text

Background: Anorexia nervosa (AN) is one of the most and severe mental diseases. In patients with AN alterations in brain regions which are implicated in the regulation of feeding behaviour have been registered due to the administration of taste stimuli. Therefore, the aim of our study was to analyze the brain activity in response to different taste stimuli in patients suffering from AN.

Material/Methods: Twenty women who were currently suffering from AN, and 20 healthy age-matched control women (CW) were tested. Demographic, personal and behavioural data was collected. Additionally, imaging data from a 3 Tesla magnetic resonance scanner (MRI) was collected, while four different taste stimuli (sucrose, citric acid, umami, and artificial saliva) were presented to the participants of the study. Data concerning mean signal change was analyzed for regions of interest (insula, amygdale, caudate, cingulum, putamen, orbifrontal cortex, and frontal operculum) and correlated with anxiety ratings of the taste stimuli.

Results: Patients with AN showed a lower mean signal change due to the administration of sucrose, umami and citric acid in left caudate and right frontal inferior operculum. Additionally, in AN a lower signal change was registered in the left amygdale and right caudate due to the administration of sucrose. In CW lower anxiety ratings were associated with a higher mean signal change in the caudate and frontal right inferior operculum, while no such relation was found in AN.

Conclusion: The results can help to better understand biologic mechanisms which lead to normal and pathologic feeding behaviour. In-turn treatments can be improved.