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Neural responses to food cues abnormal in women with bulimia

Brain activation to food cues differed between women with bulimia nervosa and women without, particularly in the precuneus, paracingulate gyrus and anterior vermis.

“To our knowledge, the current study is the first investigation of the neural reactions to food cues following a stressful event in women with bulimia nervosa,” Brittany Collins, PhD, of the National Medical Center, Washington, D.C., said in a press release.

To determine the impact of acute stress on neural processing of food cues in bulimia nervosa, researchers conducted two studies.

In the first study, ten women with DSM-5 bulimia nervosa underwent functional MRI that assessed neural correlates of visual food cue processing before and after acute stress induction.

Whole brain analysis indicated significant decreases in activation in the precuneus, associated with self-referential processing, the paracingulate gyrus and anterior vermis of the cerebellum in participants with bulimia nervosa.

In the second study, 17 women with bulimia nervosa or another specified feeding and eating disorder with bulimia nervosa symptoms completed the same functional MRI.

Region of interest analysis replicated findings from the first study, according to researchers.

“Our findings are consistent with the characterization of binge-eating as an escape from self-awareness and support the emotion regulation theories that suggest that women with bulimia shift away from self-awareness because of negative thoughts regarding performance or social comparisons and shift focus to a more concrete stimulus, such as food,” Collins said in the release. – by Amanda Oldt

Disclosure: Collins reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.