Bulimia Where anorexiaare associated with neuronal modification in people who suffer from it. Dr. Guido Franck, researcher in neuroscience at the University of Colorado (United States), has just put his finger on a neuronal particularity which makes it possible to better understand what is happening in the brain of people who suffer from eating disorders. In the review Translational Psychiatrythe neurology specialist explains that people with anorexia ignore the feeling of hunger because their brain does not react as it normally does in a healthy subject. Neural connections would somehow be reversed, hampering the process of hunger regulationand satiety.
“Normally, the region of the brain responsible for appetite should make you leave your chair and look for something to eat. In patients with anorexia or bulimia, this is not the case”, summarizes Dr. Guido Frank, lead author of the study and professor of psychiatry and neuroscience, quoted by AFP. This observation was made by observing 26 women suffering from anorexia, 25 women suffering from bulimia and 26 others without eating disorders. All the volunteers passed an appetite activation test which consisted of drinking a little sugar water. During this time, the researchers examined the brain mechanisms using medical imaging (MRI).
The hypothalamus, center of hunger, turned upside down in anorexics
Neurologists have discovered that neural connections are not made normally in people with anorexia. The white matter of the brain supposed to transmit information between the hypothalamus and the brain was altered. The hypothalamus (hunger control center) which normally receives hunger signals was also disrupted. This reversal of the classic circuit of appetite and satiety would prevent you from responding normally to the call for food to satisfy your hunger.
This preliminary work must now be deepened by the observation of the cerebral mechanisms in children from families crossed by eating disorders.
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