title: Does regional brain perfusion correlate with eating disorder symptoms in anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), we sought brain perfusion correlates of eating disorder symptoms in anorexia and bulimia nervosa patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated 67 female eating disordered (ED) patients. Eating disorder symptoms were measured by the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI). Determination of brain areas in which regional perfusion co-varied with drive for thinness, bulimia, body dissatisfaction, ineffectiveness, perfectionism, interpersonal distrust, interoceptive awareness and maturity fears was done by open explorative correlation analysis using Statistical Parametrical Mapping (SPM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant positive correlation between scores on body dissatisfaction and ineffectiveness, and brain perfusion in the prefrontal and parietal cortex was demonstrated. There were no correlations between other eating disorder symptoms and brain perfusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on the finding of an association between regional brain flow and body dissatisfaction and ineffectiveness, we argue that neurobiological findings in ED patients may not only reflect emotional and behavioural factors but cognitive-evaluative features as well.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nuclear Medicine, Polikliniek 7, Ghent University Hospital, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000, Belgium. ingeborg.goethals@ugent.be
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Goethals
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vervaet
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Audenaert
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: Hamphrey
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.forename: Cees
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Van Heeringen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon