Insular Cell Integrity Markers Linked to Weight Concern in Anorexia Nervosa—An MR-Spectroscopy Study
Open Access
- 29 April 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Journal of Clinical Medicine
- Vol. 9 (5), 1292
- https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9051292
Abstract
Objective: An insular involvement in the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa (AN) has been suggested in many structural and functional neuroimaging studies. This magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study is the first to investigate metabolic signals in the anterior insular cortex in patients with AN and recovered individuals (REC). Method: The MR spectra of 32 adult women with AN, 21 REC subjects and 33 healthy controls (HC) were quantified for absolute N-acetylaspartate (NAA), glutamate + glutamine (Glx), total choline, myo-inositol, creatine concentrations (mM/L). After adjusting the metabolite concentrations for age and partial gray/white matter volume, group differences were tested using one-way multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA). Post-hoc analyses of variance were applied to identify those metabolites that showed significant group effects. Correlations were tested for associations with psychometric measures (eating disorder examination), duration of illness, and body mass index. Results: The MANOVA exhibited a significant group effect. The NAA signal was reduced in the AN group compared to the HC group. The REC and the HC groups did not differ in metabolite concentrations. In the AN group, lower NAA and Glx signals were related to increased weight concern. Discussion: We interpret the decreased NAA availability in the anterior insula as a signal of impaired neuronal integrity or density. The association of weight concern, which is a core feature of AN, with decreased NAA and Glx indicates that disturbances of glutamatergic neurotransmission might be related to core psychopathology in AN. The absence of significant metabolic differences between the REC and HC subjects suggests that metabolic alterations in AN represent a state rather than a trait phenomenon.Funding Information
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (JO 744-2/1)
This publication has 74 references indexed in Scilit:
- Epidemiology of Eating Disorders: Incidence, Prevalence and Mortality RatesCurrent Psychiatry Reports, 2012
- Restraint of appetite and reduced regional brain volumes in anorexia nervosa: a voxel-based morphometric studyBMC Psychiatry, 2011
- Magnetic resonance spectroscopy of the anterior cingulate cortex in eating disordersPsychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 2011
- Anorexia nervosa and the insulaMedical Hypotheses, 2011
- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Studies of Glutamate-Related Abnormalities in Mood DisordersBiological Psychiatry, 2010
- Cortical activation in response to pure taste stimuli during the physiological states of hunger and satietyNeuroImage, 2009
- How do you feel — now? The anterior insula and human awarenessNature Reviews Neuroscience, 2009
- Choline as a biomarker for cell proliferation: Do the results from proton MR spectroscopy show difference between HER2/neu positive and negative breast cancers?International Journal of Cancer, 2008
- Activation by N‐Acetyl‐l‐Aspartate of Acutely Dissociated Hippocampal Neurons in Rats via Metabotropic Glutamate ReceptorsEpilepsia, 2003
- Estimation of metabolite concentrations from localized in vivo proton NMR spectraMagnetic Resonance in Medicine, 1993