• April 25, 2024

When people havehungry they are motivated to eat, but those who suffer anorexy Nervous women resist because they present an abnormal brain response to appetite signals, reveals new research.

Individuals with anorexy They may be hungry and still restrict their food intake. We wanted to identify the brain mechanisms that could contribute to their ability to ignore the rewards, such as hunger, "he says. Christina Wierenga , co-author of the study.

Without motivation to eat

For the study, the researchers analyzed the brain function of 23 women who had recovered from the anorexy and 17 healthy girls who had never suffered from an eating disorder.

Women who recovered from the anorexy showed a lower response to the reward, even when they had hungry .

Contrary to healthy girls, they showed greater sensitivity to rewards when they were hungry, says Wierenga, who is an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of California School of Medicine.

The study suggests that differences in brain circuit in people with anorexy make them less sensitive to the reward and the motivating impulse of the appetite . In other words, hunger does not motivate them to eat, says the lead author of the study. Walter Kaye .

Kaye also indicates that the researchers observed differences in areas of the brain that are important to the self-control among people who recovered from the anorexy .

This means that those who suffer from anorexia may have more self-control than people who do not suffer from eating disorder, "according to Kaye, director of the University's Treatment and Research Program on Eating Disorders.

The finding offers new information on eating disorders, and could lead to new treatments that target specific brain pathways, the researchers said.

Up to 24 million Americans have anorexia or other eating disorders , which can lead to many health problems and which can be potentially lethal.

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