title: Glial and neuronal damage markers in patients with anorexia nervosa.
abstract: Anorexia nervosa (AN) commonly arises during adolescence leading to interruptions of somatic and psychological development as well as to atrophic brain changes. It remains unclear whether these brain changes are related to the loss of neurons, glia, neuropil or merely due to fluid shifts. We determined leptin levels and two brain-derived damage markers: glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE) of 43 acute AN patients and 50 healthy control woman (HCW). Peripheral GFAP and NSE concentrations of AN patients were not elevated and not different from HCW. Subjects with particularly low leptin concentration, indicating severe malnutrition, did not show abnormal values either. During weight recovery the marker proteins remained unchanged. Our preliminary results are in line with neuroimaging studies supporting the reversibility of brain changes in AN and do not substantiate hypotheses relying on the extensive damage of brain cells as an explanation for cerebral atrophy in AN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Charité, Universitätsmedizin Berlin, CVK, Augustenburger Platz 1, Berlin, Germany. stefan.ehrlich@charite.de
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ehrlich
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Burghardt
authors.forename: Deike
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.forename: Harriet
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Salbach-Andrae
authors.forename: Eugenia Maria
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Craciun
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Goldhahn
authors.forename: Burghard F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Klapp
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lehmkuhl
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000097:blood; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D020738:Leptin; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase