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Childhood-onset anorexia nervosa: towards identifying a biological substrate
I Gordon1, B Lask, R Bryant-Waugh
1Department of Radiology, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, London, United Kingdom.
Objective:
The etiology of anorexia nervosa is not fully understood, but is probably multifactorial, including a biological substrate. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the possible underlying biological substrate.
Method:
Fifteen children and adolescents aged 8-16 years underwent regional cerebral blood blow radioisotope scans. All fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for anorexia nervosa. Three of the girls had a follow-up scan when they had regained their lost weight.
Results:
Thirteen of the 15 patients had unilateral temporal lobe hypoperfusion, 8 on the left side and 5 on the right. The abnormality persisted in the 3 girls who had a follow-up scan after weight restoration.
Discussion:
This is the first report of reduced regional cerebral blood flow in childhood-onset anorexia nervosa, and suggests an underlying primary functional abnormality.