New Findings Identify Patterns of Brain Activity Linked With Eating Disorders

Researchers have explored the impact of diet on brain function, and identified patterns of brain activity associated with eating disorders such as binge eating and purging.

The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2013, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.

Anorexia Nervosa - Types Complications Causes Treatment FAQs
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder most commonly found among teenage girls. Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a very low body weight, generally defined as 15% below the Body Mass Index.

Millions of people worldwide suffer from eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating. With increased risk for psychiatric and chronic diseases, today's studies are valuable in helping generate new strategies to treat disorders from obesity to anorexia.

Today's new findings show that:•
• Targeted magnetic stimulation of the brain reduces the symptoms of severe eating disorders, including bingeing and purging. These findings may represent a new treatment tool for patients with eating disorders (Jonathan Downar, MD, PhD, abstract 540.01).
• Rats that are more naturally impulsive tend to consume more calories on a binge. Findings suggest that this may be due to an imbalance in the brain's serotonin system (Noelle Anastasio, PhD, abstract 547.13).

Other recent findings discussed show that:
• Consuming a diet of red meat and processed foods is linked to a decline in verybal memory in the elderly after just 36 months (Samantha Gardener).
• Consuming cannabis can influence body weight ofoffspring for generations (Yasmin Hurd, PhD, presentation 685.05).
• Eating a sweet, high-fat meal sets off a series of events that includes the release of insulin and suppression of dopamine, leading to less interest in food-related cues in the environment (Stephanie Borgland, PhD, presentation 685.06).

Orthorexia Nervosa | Eating Disorder - Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Are you a Health Food Junkie? Are you obsessed with what you eat all the time? You may be a victim of a condition called Orthorexia Nervosa.

"As scientists uncover the impacts of diet on brain function, the adage 'You are what you eat,' takes on new meaning," said press conference moderator Fernando Gomez-Pinilla, PhD, of the University of California, Los Angeles, an expert in the impact of the environment on brain health. "We cannot separate the nutritional benefits of food for the body from that of the mind. What we put into the body also shapes the brain, for better or for worse."

Sleep Eating Disorders Causes Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment
Sleep-related eating disorders are abnormal eating behaviors that occur during night. Sleep related eating disorder is a part of parasomnias.

Source-Eurekalert

Loss of Appetite or Decreased Appetite - Symptom Evaluation - Frequently Asked Questions
A loss of appetite deprives an individual of essential nutrients and results in weight loss.