Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Using the Activity-based Anorexia Rodent Model to Study the Neurobiological Basis of Anorexia Nervosa
Published on: October 22, 2015
Season of birth and anorexia nervosa
Giulio Disanto1, Adam E Handel, Andrea E Para
1Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford and Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Abstract:
Our aim was to investigate whether there is a season-of-birth effect in anorexia nervosa. In a meta-analysis, we compared the distribution of anorexia births (n = 1293) from four independent UK cohorts to that of the general UK population (n = 21 914 037), using both the Walter & Elwood seasonality and chi-squared tests. We found an excess of anorexia births from March to June (odds ratio (OR) = 1.15, 95% CI 1.03-1.29, P = 0.012) and a deficit from September to October (OR = 0.8, 95% CI 0.68-0.94, P = 0.007). These results indicate that environmental risk factor(s) are operative during gestation or immediately after birth and their identification will be important for disease prevention strategies.
Related Concept Videos
Anorexia Nervosa
Symptoms and Physical Effects
Individuals with anorexia nervosa commonly exhibit extreme...
Bulimia Nervosa
Binge Eating Disorders
Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Oral
Weaning, typically occurring around the age...
Depressive Disorders: Etiology
Biological Factors in Depression
Biological predispositions significantly influence the risk of developing depressive disorders. Genetic studies highlight the role of variations in the serotonin transporter...
Psychosexual Stages of Personality: Anal

