The Link between the Nervous System and Eating Disorders
Introduction
Did eating disorders make you feel you are “not yourself”? They certainly made me question my identity and perception of myself and my social surroundings. Research is exploring how this happens. The relationship between the nervous system and eating disorders is a complex subject that continues to intrigue researchers and healthcare professionals alike. As we delve into the complexity of this connection, it becomes evident that the nervous system plays a pivotal role in regulating various aspects of our eating behaviors and patterns. At the core of this link is the interplay between the brain, which serves as the command center for the nervous system, and the signals it sends to the rest of the body. Research suggests that eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, often involve dysregulation in these neural pathways, leading to distorted perceptions of body image, disrupted eating patterns, and emotional struggles.
Neural processing is altered with the prevalence of eating disorders
As analyzed by the Current Psychology Reports, “Social Processing in Eating Disorders: Neuroimaging Paradigms and Research Domain Organizational Constructs”, eating disorders alter the social processing domain, affecting how people with eating disorders communicate and interact with others. Results of existing neuroimaging studies comparing the brains of people with eating disorders and people without revealed differences in “...modulation of many regions including medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), temporoparietal junction (TPJ), and temporal poles (TP)”. Ultimately, the details of this analysis reported that neural differences in processing social information are actually more related to decision-making than sensory perception.
Exploring the Brain and Eating Disorders
With the onset of an eating disorder, studies have revealed that anorexia (link), specifically, can lead to a decrease in brain volume. The brain contains both gray and white matter, which are composed of brain cells: astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and neurons. With a disorder like anorexia nervosa, extreme malnutrition results in a decrease in the number of astrocytes, while oligodendrocytes and neurons do not change in number. This is extremely problematic, especially in an early onset, and can lead to permanent brain damage, and decreased brain development in adolescents.
When we observe other mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression in the brain on a microscopic level, it is thought that alterations of synaptic transmissions are what cause feelings of anxiety and depression, as neurotransmitters are not being released enough, or too much. Eating disorders are often linked with other mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
Food as a Reward
Food is often perceived as a reward, which triggers the ventral striatum, amongst other regions, in the brain, where dopamine is received and the drive of motivation and reward stimulus occurs. A recent study revealed that when patients with anorexia and bulimia were shown pictures of food samples, ventral striatum activity revealed body image-related thoughts, strong negative emotions, and depressive feelings.
In patients with bulimia nervosa, the study revealed that food value may be enhanced with a low mood and trigger binge eating. It was also revealed that reward brain response results in abnormal brain development and bulimia nervosa behaviors, primarily binging and purging.
It’s time to realize that EDs, like many other diseases, involve neurochemical and anatomical changes. It’s a disease that we will continue to learn more about every day. And like any other disease, the more knowledge we acquire, the closer we will get to that much-needed breakthrough!
You are not alone
If you feel that you, or a loved one, are struggling with an eating disorder, please consult a professional or visit the sites below. Asking for help is not easy, but you are not alone, making that first step will help you so much in the long run. Happiness and health are worth much more than societal standards.
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/eating-disorder-treatment-and-recovery.htm
Works Cited
Skowron, K., Kurnik‐Łucka, M., Dadański, E., Bętkowska-Korpała, B., & Gil, K. (2020). Backstage of Eating Disorder—About the Biological Mechanisms behind the Symptoms of Anorexia Nervosa. Nutrients, 12(9), 2604. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092604
McAdams, C. J., Efseroff, B., McCoy, J., Ford, L., & Timko, C. A. (2022). Social Processing in Eating Disorders: Neuroimaging Paradigms and research domain Organizational Constructs. Current Psychiatry Reports, 24(12), 777–788. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-022-01395-4
Frank, G., Shott, M. E., & DeGuzman, M. C. (2019). The Neurobiology of eating disorders. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 28(4), 629–640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chc.2019.05.007
