Relationships between platelet MAO-B activity and personality styles in acute and weight-recovered young patients with anorexia nervosa.
OBJECTIVE
Previous studies have shown relationships between personality styles and markers of serotonergic functioning, but data on patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) are scarce.


METHODS
The personality styles and disorder inventory was administered to 47 acute patients with anorexia nervosa (acAN), 27 weight-recovered patients (recAN) and 72 healthy controls (HC) aged between 14 and 21 years. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO-B) activity was assayed with [14C]-β-phenylethylamine as substrate.


RESULTS
AcAN had significant elevated scores on 9 of the 14 personality style subscales when compared to HC, whereas recAN were largely normal. Platelet MAO-B activity and "ambitious/narcissistic" scores correlated negatively in acAN. In recAN we found positive correlations between MAO-B and personality subscores.


CONCLUSIONS
The inverse relationship between a cluster B personality style and MAO-B activity in acAN is in accordance with studies in other patient populations. In contrast, positive associations between problematic personality styles and MAO-B activity in recAN combined with the overall decreased MAO-B activity in this group adds to the existing evidence suggesting a general dysfunction of the serotonergic system as a trait marker for AN.
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
R
R
Schott
L
L
Franke
R
R
Burghardt
J
J
Doepmann
V
V
Roessner
U
U
Lehmkuhl
S
S
Ehrlich
D000293:Adolescent; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000378:metabolism; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase / Q000097:blood*; D010551:Personality; D010627:Phenethylamines; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult
D015415:Biomarkers; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D020738:Leptin; D010627:Phenethylamines; C029261:phenethylamine; D008995:Monoamine Oxidase