title: Psychoneuroendocrinology of anorexia nervosa.
abstract: It is suggested that the symptoms of anorexia nervosa are physiological responses to starvation. There is no evidence of a neural or non-neural dysfunction that predisposes women for anorexia nervosa and the endocrine and psychological consequences of starvation are reversed once patients have re-learnt how to eat and regained a normal body weight. Because variability in the supply of food may be a common evolutionary condition, it is more likely that body weight is variable than constant in normal circumstances. The role of the neuroendocrine system in times of feast and famine is to allow the individual to adopt behavioral strategies as needed rather than maintaining body weight homeostasis. Treatment of anorexic patients should aim at reducing their high level of physical activity in order to facilitate eating.
authors.affiliation: Section of Applied Neuroendocrinology, Mandometer Clinic, Karolinska Institutet, AB Mando, Novum, S-141 57 Huddinge, Sweden. per.sodersten@ki.se
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Södersten
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bergh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zandian
mesh_terms: D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000502:physiology; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000502:physiology; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000502:physiology; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D013217:Starvation / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D009842:Oligopeptides; C023866:pyroglutamyl-histidyl-glycine; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid