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Updated: Feb 6, 2026
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Using the Activity-based Anorexia Rodent Model to Study the Neurobiological Basis of Anorexia Nervosa
Published on: October 22, 2015
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Dynamic changes in white matter microstructure in anorexia nervosa: findings from a longitudinal study
Nina von Schwanenflug1, Dirk K Müller2, Joseph A King1
1Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience,Faculty of Medicine,Technische Universität Dresden,Dresden,Germany.
Psychological Medicine
|August 29, 2018
Summary
White matter changes in anorexia nervosa (AN) are reversible with weight restoration. Microstructural white matter alterations in AN patients improved after short-term weight gain, indicating state-dependent brain changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Anorexia nervosa (AN) is associated with gray matter (GM) pseudoatrophy.
- White matter (WM) changes in AN are less understood.
- Investigated microstructural WM dynamics during weight restoration in AN.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine longitudinal and cross-sectional changes in white matter (WM) microstructure in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients.
- To assess the impact of short-term weight restoration on WM integrity.
- To compare WM changes in AN patients with healthy controls (HC).
Main Methods:
- Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) used in young AN patients before (acAN-Tp1) and after (acAN-Tp2) weight restoration.
- Healthy controls (HC) included for comparison (n=60).
- Tract-Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) applied to analyze fractional anisotropy (FA) across groups and timepoints.
Main Results:
- Cross-sectional analysis: Reduced FA in the callosal body of acAN-Tp1 compared to HC.
- No significant FA differences between acAN-Tp2 and HC.
- Longitudinal analysis: Increased FA in the callosal body and fornix with weight gain (acAN-Tp2 vs. acAN-Tp1); decreased FA in the right corticospinal tract.
Conclusions:
- Dynamic, bidirectional WM microstructure changes in underweight AN patients are reversible with brief weight restoration.
- WM alterations in non-chronic AN are state-dependent and rapidly reversible.
- Findings parallel GM changes, supporting reversibility with successful intervention.
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