Emotion brain alterations in anorexia nervosa: a candidate biological marker and implications for treatment.
BACKGROUND
Identification of the biological markers of anorexia nervosa (AN) is crucial for the development of new treatments. We aimed to determine whether AN is associated with disturbances in the nonconscious neural processing of innate signals of emotion and whether these disturbances persist after weight gain.


METHODS
In a retest design, 28 adolescent females with AN were tested at first ad not mission to hospital and again after they had gained weight. Matched healthy control participants were tested at the same times. We assessed emotion-elicited event-related potentials (ERPs) during overt and covert presentation of emotion expressions, scores on an emotion-identification behavioural task, and symptom measures. We performed between and within group analyses.


RESULTS
Individuals with AN had a marked alteration in ERPs relative to healthy controls. Irrespective of the form of stimulus, early and late ERP componotnents were significantly reduced in AN patients at baseline (when underweight) and on retest (after weight gain), especially in the temporo-occipital regions, suggesting a persistent disruption of the early automatic appraisal of salient emotional signals.


CONCLUSIONS
This study could have been improved with a longer standardized retest interval.


CONCLUSIONS
There is likely a core, generic disturbance in AN in the early "automatic" neural processing of emotion irrespective of weight or nutritional status. New innovative emotion-based psychologic or pharmacologic treatments targeting these nonconscious processes may prove beneficial.
Hatch
Ainslie
A
The Brain Dynamics Center, Westmead Millennium Institute and University of Sydney at Westmead Hospital, Australia. ainslieh@psych.usyd.edu.au
Madden
Sloane
S
Kohn
Michael R
MR
Clarke
Simon
S
Touyz
Stephen
S
Gordon
Evian
E
Williams
Leanne M
LM
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015415:Biomarkers; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000502:physiology
D015415:Biomarkers