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Related Experiment Video

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Assessing Activity-based Anorexia in Mice

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Compulsivity in anorexia nervosa: a transdiagnostic concept.

Lauren R Godier¹, Rebecca J Park¹

¹Oxford Brain-Body Research into Eating Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford Oxford, UK.

Frontiers in Psychology

|August 8, 2014

Summary

Anorexia nervosa (AN) behaviors may become compulsive due to habit formation and aberrant reward processing, similar to other compulsive disorders. Understanding compulsivity as a transdiagnostic concept could lead to new anorexia nervosa treatments.

Keywords:

addiction anorexia nervosa compulsivity habit formation neurobiology obsessive–compulsive disorder reward

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Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Psychiatry
Behavioral Science

Background:

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder with high morbidity and mortality, characterized by compulsive weight loss behaviors.
The compulsive nature of AN suggests parallels with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and addictions.
Effective treatments for AN are limited, highlighting an unmet clinical need.

Purpose of the Study:

To explore compulsivity as a transdiagnostic concept in AN.
To investigate mechanisms underlying the persistence of AN behaviors, such as habit formation and aberrant reward processing.
To inform the development of novel therapeutic strategies for AN.

Main Methods:

Review of models of compulsivity, focusing on cortico-striatal circuitry dysfunction.
Examination of evidence for circuit abnormalities across compulsive disorders.
Consideration of habit formation and reinforcement processes in AN behavior.

Main Results:

Dysfunction in cortico-striatal circuitry is implicated in compulsive behaviors across disorders.
Excessive habit formation may drive the transition of rewarding weight loss behaviors in AN to compulsive patterns.
Starvation physiology can exacerbate compulsivity, positive reinforcement, and habit formation.

Conclusions:

Viewing compulsivity as a transdiagnostic concept offers a framework for understanding AN persistence.
Aberrant reward processing and habit formation are key targets for future AN research.
A transdiagnostic approach to compulsivity may facilitate the development of innovative treatments for anorexia nervosa.