By Alanna Hattori
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Did you know that eating disorders impact at least 9% of the worldwide population or that there are over 2,600 deaths each year due to the eating disorder anorexia nervosa (Eating Recovery Center)? This eating disorder is defined as the fear of gaining weight or having a warped perception of weight. This harmful eating disorder distorts your view of food and can even completely change the structure of your brain.
To begin, how exactly does anorexia impact the relationship between food and the brain? In a study, researchers wanted to document how changes in reward responses change food intake control circuitry. In this experiment, participants either received or were denied a random sugar stimulus. The researchers wanted to examine the brain's reward response, also known as a prediction error, which is a "dopamine-related signaling process that measures the degree of deviation from expectation, or how surprised a person was to receive the unexpected stimulus. A higher prediction error indicates that the person was more surprised, while a lower prediction error indicates they were less surprised”(National Institute of Health, 2012). The group of people without eating disorders showed no clear correlation between reward response, BMI(body mass index), and eating disorder behavior. The ventral striatal-hypothalamic connectivity in the brain (receiving stimuli) was different in the group with eating disorders. Unlike test subjects without an eating disorder history, where the connectivity from the ventral striatum went straight to the hypothalamus (National Institute of Health, 2012), it was the opposite direction in the group with eating disorders. This could explain why they have trouble with hunger cues, feel out of control, and more, as the hypothalamus controls these signals. When the hypothalamus doesn't receive the stimulus from the ventral striatal-hypothalamic connectivity, it makes it easier for people with eating disorders to ignore these hunger cues and persist in their cycle of starvation. This highlights a higher prediction error response in the brains of people with restrictive eating disorders like anorexia, making it easier to resist food cravings, leading to a more restrictive food intake and perpetuating the cycle of unhealthy eating.
Anorexia can also change the structure of the brain itself. For example, according to Esther Walton, "Prolonged starvation can also lead to neurons in the brain being broken down in order to preserve other specific aspects of the brain, which can decrease the gray matter volume”(England, 2022). This helps to show us that Starvation can cause damage to key neurons in the brain and result in decreased gray matter, leading to problems such as decreased fine motor skills (Evans, 2021). Gray matter is crucial for memory, decision-making, and emotions, and a decrease can have severe consequences (Bushak, 2020). Anorexia can also shrink the brain in three areas: cortical thickness, subcortical volumes, and cortical surface area, which is significant and indicates a loss of brain cells and connections between them (Science Daily). In conclusion, anorexia can have damaging effects on the brain structure, causing a decrease in gray matter and shrinkage in brain size.
Due to the impacts on the brain, anorexia is proven to be very dangerous. However, there are ways to help prevent long-term brain damage or changes. For example, researchers have found that early treatment for anorexia can help minimize the damage. Christian Buckley has even stated that "early intervention for anorexia is key to the safest and fastest recovery"(England, 2021). A study revealed that patients who were in recovery from anorexia showed lesser reductions in brain structure compared to those still struggling with the condition (England, 2021). These changes in the brain are not permanent and can be partially reversed with appropriate treatment. Another study focused on women undergoing long-term recovery found that the brain can heal itself over time after recovery, with little difference observed between women with a history of anorexia and those without (England, 2021). Both of these studies suggest that although full reversal of brain damage may not be possible, recovery can significantly reduce it.
In conclusion, the condition of anorexia can profoundly impact the brain and its structure, as evidenced by the potential loss of gray matter and the reduction in the size and function of the brain. However, despite these challenging effects, it is important to remain hopeful and understand that, with the appropriate care and treatment, some of these changes may be partially reversed.
References
Anorexia Can Actually Change Brain Structure. (2023). Retrieved 3 February 2023, from https://www.verywellmind.com/news-anorexia-can-actually-change-brain-structure-5441589
Anorexia nervosa - Symptoms and causes. (2023). Retrieved 3 February 2023, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/anorexia-nervosa/symptoms-causes/syc-20353591
Anorexia Nervosa Treatment & Recovery Centers | Eating Recovery Center. (2023). Retrieved 3 February 2023, from https://www.eatingrecoverycenter.com/con
How Malnourishment Affects the Brain: Research on Anorexia and Neurobiology. (2023). Retrieved 3 February 2023, from https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/anorexia/how-malnourishment-affects-the-brain-research-on-an
“Large Study Reveals Stark Changes in Brain Structure for People with Anorexia.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 7 June 2022, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220607120952.htm#:~:text=They%20reveal%20that%20people%20with,or%20the%20connections%20between%20them.
Parmet, S. (2023). Abnormalities found in ‘insight’ areas of the brain in anorexia | UIC Today. Retrieved 3 February 2023, from https://today.uic.edu/abnormalities-found-in-insight-areas-of-the-brain-in-anorexia/
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