title: Larger hippocampus size in women with anorexia nervosa who exercise excessively than healthy women.
abstract: Exercise has been shown to increase hippocampal volume in healthy older adults. Observations from animal models of diabetes and hypertension suggest that the combination of exercise and caloric restriction may exert greater neuroprotection in the hippocampus than either behavior alone. Yet, in humans, the effects of exercise and caloric restriction on the hippocampus are not known. We measured the volume of the hippocampus prior to clinical treatment in women with anorexia nervosa (AN) who were restricting calories and engaging in excessive exercise, women with AN who did not exercise excessively, and healthy women who did not engage in either behavior. Women with AN were also examined longitudinally (once weight was restored and 6 months later). In the present report, we found that women with AN engaged in caloric restriction and excessive exercising prior to clinical treatment had larger hippocampal volumes than healthy comparison women. After weight restoration, women with AN who had engaged in food restriction and excessive exercise prior to treatment had hippocampal volumes similar to that of women with AN who only engaged in caloric restriction. These results advance the field by showing for the first time that hippocampal volume may be increased by exercise alone or exercise interacting with food restriction in AN.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Roy J. & Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Janelle N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Beadle
authors.affiliation: Una Mano per La Vita Not for Profit Association of Families and their Doctors, Italy; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience (UIFCoN), Diego Portales University, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paradiso
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Roy J. & Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brumm
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Voss
authors.affiliation: Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Halmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Roy J. & Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, IA, USA. Electronic address: laurie-mccormick@uiowa.edu.
authors.forename: Laurie M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: McCormick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000856:Anorexia Nervosa / Q000523:psychology; D031204:Caloric Restriction; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Caloric restriction; Eating disorders; Exercise; Hippocampus; Neuroimaging