Functional Connectivity of Reward Circuits in Eating Disorders

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. S36-S36
Author(s):  
A. Favaro ◽  
P. Santonastaso
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Obstetric Complications ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Healthy Women ◽  
Competing Interest

ObjectiveAnorexia 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.Method51 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.ResultsThe 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.Discussionthe 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 interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

scholarly journals Decreased Functional Connectivity of Vermis-Ventral Prefrontal Cortex in Bipolar Disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huanhuan Li ◽  
Hu Liu ◽  
Yanqing Tang ◽  
Rongkai Yan ◽  
Xiaowei Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Functional Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Resonance Imaging ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Ventral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Middle Cingulate Cortex

Objectives: To investigate changes in functional connectivity between the vermis and cerebral regions in the resting state among subjects with bipolar disorder (BD).Methods: Thirty participants with BD and 28 healthy controls (HC) underwent the resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the anterior and posterior vermis was examined. For each participant, rsFC maps of the anterior and posterior vermis were computed and compared across the two groups.Results: rsFC between the whole vermis and ventral prefrontal cortex (VPFC) was significantly lower in the BD groups compared to the HC group, and rsFC between the anterior vermis and the middle cingulate cortex was likewise significantly decreased in the BD group.Limitations: 83.3% of the BD participants were taking medication at the time of the study. Our findings may in part be attributed to treatment differences because we did not examine the effects of medication on rsFC. Further, the mixed BD subtypes in our current study may have confounding effects influencing the results.Conclusions: These rsFC differences of vermis-VPFC between groups may contribute to the BD mood regulation.

scholarly journals Mechanisms of transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of anorexia nervosa

BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S49-S50
Author(s):  
Lydia Shackshaft
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Resting State ◽  
High Frequency ◽  
Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Dorsolateral Prefrontal ◽  
Neurophysiological Mechanisms

AimsSevere and Enduring Anorexia Nervosa (SE-AN) is a challenging condition to treat, with limited therapeutic options, high morbidity, and the highest mortality rates of any psychiatric illness. Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) is an emerging treatment option, as evidence demonstrates promising efficacy in improving mood and reducing core Anorexia Nervosa symptoms, as well as safety and tolerability to patients. We aimed to investigate the neurophysiological mechanisms of rTMS use in SE-AN patients by assessing changes in resting state functional connectivity, in the first functional neuroimaging analysis investigating rTMS effects in Anorexia Nervosa patients.Method26 females with a current diagnosis of SE-AN received 20 sessions of sham or real high frequency rTMS (10 hertz) to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in a randomised double-blind trial. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed before and after rTMS. Neural correlates of rTMS treatment were identified using a seed-based functional connectivity analysis with the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral amygdalae as regions of interest. Functional connectivity differences were analysed using t-contrasts in a mixed ANOVA (flexible factorial analysis) to assess interactions between treatment group (real rTMS vs sham) and time-point (pre or post TMS).ResultNo statistically significant changes in resting-state functional connectivity were observed post-rTMS compared to baseline in participants receiving active rTMS compared to sham. Increased functional connectivity between the left amygdala and left pre-supplementary motor area was observed to reach cluster-wise significance (PFWE < 0.05). However, after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (3 seed regions), this did not reach the significance threshold PFWE <0.017.ConclusionThis study highlights the need for further investigation of neurophysiological mechanisms, including resting-state functional connectivity modulation, resulting from rTMS to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex in SE-AN patients. This requires higher powered studies to account for heterogeneity in treatment response. We have provided some indication that high frequency rTMS may have therapeutic benefit in SE-AN by modification of functional connectivity between prefrontal and limbic brain regions, resulting in improved top-down cognitive control over emotional processing and ability to enact goal-directed behaviours, enabling secondary reductions in eating disorder behaviours.

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