Prefrontal brain metabolites in short-term weight-recovered adolescent anorexia nervosa patients.
Various neuroimaging techniques have revealed morphological and functional alterations in anorexia nervosa (AN), although few spectroscopic magnetic resonance studies have examined short-term weight-recovered AN patients. Subjects were 32 female adolescent patients (between 13 and 18 years old) seen consecutively in our department and who met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for AN. All of them had received a minimum of six months of treatment and were short-term weight-recovered (for one to three months) with a body mass index ranging from 18 to 23. A group of 20 healthy female volunteer controls of similar age were also included. All subjects were assessed with psychopathological scales and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Total choline (Cho) (p=0.007) and creatine (Cr) (p=0.008) levels were significantly higher in AN patients than in controls. AN patients receiving psychopharmacological treatment with SSRIs (N=9) had metabolite levels similar to control subjects, but patients without this treatment did not. The present study shows abnormalities in brain neurometabolites related to Cho compounds and Cr in the prefrontal cortex in short-term weight-recovered adolescent AN patients, principally in patients not undergoing psychopharmacological treatment. More studies with larger samples are necessary to test the generalizability of the present results.
Castro-Fornieles
Josefina
J
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clínic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. jcastro@clinic.ub.es
Garcia
Ana Isabel
AI
Lazaro
Luisa
L
Andrés-Perpiñá
Susana
S
Falcón
Carles
C
Plana
Maria Teresa
MT
Bargallo
Nuria
N
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002794:Choline / Q000378:metabolism*; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002794:Choline; D003401:Creatine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors