Structural and functional brain correlates of altered taste processing in anorexia nervosa: A systematic review

A growing body of empirical literature indicates altered taste perception in individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, it remains unknown whether the observed impairments in the neural processing of taste stimuli represent etiopathogenetic factors of AN or whether they are a secondary consequence of malnutrition.

In the current systematic review, scientific studies were identified using the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Scopus databases. A supplemental search was performed by searches through reference lists of the relevant publications and via Google Scholar.

On the basis of the searches conducted, 16 publications were identified and included in this literature review. The results of those studies point to disturbances in the structure and functioning of brain regions involved in taste processing in AN.

The findings of the reviewed studies suggest that altered reward, interoceptive, and cognitive-emotional processing may contribute to abnormal taste processing in AN.