title: Theory of mind and the brain in anorexia nervosa: relation to treatment outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Converging evidence suggests deficits in theory-of-mind (ToM) processing in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). The present study aimed at elucidating the neural mechanisms underlying ToM-deficits in AN.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 19 adolescent patients with AN and 21 age-matched controls were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging during performance of a ToM-task at two time points (in-patients: admission to hospital and discharge after weight recovery). Clinical outcomes in patients were determined 1 year after admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Irrespective of the time point, AN patients showed reduced activation in middle and anterior temporal cortex and in the medial prefrontal cortex. Hypoactivation in the medial prefrontal cortex at admission to hospital (T1) was correlated with clinical outcome at follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Hypoactivation in the brain network supporting theory of mind may be associated with a social-cognitive endophenotype reflecting impairments of social functioning in anorexia nervosa which is predictive for a poor outcome at 1-year follow-up.
authors: University Hospital Aachen (UKA) and the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-3) at the Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany. mschulte@ukaachen.de
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Schulte-Rüther
authors: Verena
authors: V
authors: Mainz
authors: Gereon R
authors: GR
authors: Fink
authors: Beate
authors: B
authors: Herpertz-Dahlmann
authors: Kerstin
authors: K
authors: Konrad
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001828:Body Image / Q000523:psychology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging / Q000379:methods; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010469:Perceptual Distortion / Q000502:physiology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013702:Temporal Lobe / Q000503:physiopathology*; D056345:Theory of Mind; D016896:Treatment Outcome