Functional Connectivity of Reward Circuits in Eating Disorders

Abstract

Objective

Anorexia nervosa display alterations of reward systems and some authors hypothesize the presence of a “starvation addiction”. The aim of the study is to explore the resting-state functional connectivity of dorsal and ventral striatal nuclei.

Method

51 subjects with lifetime anorexia nervosa (AN) (35 acute and 16 recovered) and 34 healthy controls underwent high resolution and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

The AN group showed a reduced functional connectivity of the putamen in comparison to healthy women and this reduction appeared to be stronger in patients with lifetime binge eating or purging. Both acute and recovered AN groups showed larger left accumbens area in comparison to healthy women. Moreover, the functional connectivity of bilateral nucleus accumbens and putamen showed significant negative correlations with the number of obstetric complications in the AN group.

Discussion

the present study supports the hypothesis that AN is associated with structural and functional alterations of striatal networks and unveils a possible role of obstetric complications in the pathogenesis of striatal dysfunction.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.