Improper Functioning of Cannabinoid Receptors in the Brain can Cause Eating Disorders

Improper functioning of cannabinoid receptors in our brain may result in eating disorders, a recent research has revealed.

PET scans were performed on victims of anorexia and bulimia. The scans of healthy women were also taken to compare the data.

The scans revealed that there were increases in ligand binding to CB1 receptors in the brains of women suffering from anorexia nervosa.

Victims of both anorexia and bulimia had elevated levels of CB1R in the insula, a region which correlates rewards, emotions, body perception , which is rather abnormal in such patients.

�The role of endocannabinoids in appetite control is clearly important. These new data point to important connections between this system and eating disorders,' said Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry.



Source: Medindia