Brain functional alterations in patients with anorexia nervosa: A meta-analysis of task-based functional MRI studies

Shuming Zhong; Ting Su; Jiaying Gong; Li Huang; Ying Wang

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115358

Brain functional alterations in patients with anorexia nervosa: A meta-analysis of task-based functional MRI studies

Psychiatry Res. 2023 Sep:327:115358. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115358. Epub 2023 Jul 28.

Authors

Shuming Zhong¹, Ting Su², Jiaying Gong³, Li Huang², Ying Wang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
² Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
³ Institute of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China; Department of Radiology, Six Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510655, China.
⁴ Medical Imaging Center, First Affiliated Hospital, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China; Institute of Molecular and Functional Imaging, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510630, China. Electronic address: johneil@vip.sina.com.

PMID: 37544086
DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115358

Abstract

The goal of this study was to discern the neural activation patterns associated with anorexia nervosa (AN) in response to tasks related to body-, food-, emotional-, cognitive-, and reward- processing. A meta-analysis was performed on task-based fMRI studies, revealing that patients with AN showed increased activity in the left superior temporal gyrus and bilaterally in the ACC during a reward-related task. During cognitive-related tasks, patients with AN also showed increased activity in the left superior parietal gyrus, right middle temporal gyrus, but decreased activity in the MCC. Additionally, patients with AN showed increased activity bilaterally in the cerebellum, MCC, and decreased activity bilaterally in the bilateral precuneus/PCC, right middle temporal gyrus, left ACC when they viewed food images. During emotion-related tasks, patients with AN showed increased activity in the left cerebellum, but decreased activity bilaterally in the striatum, right mPFC, and right superior parietal gyrus. Patients with AN also showed increased activity in the right striatum and decreased activity in the right inferior temporal gyrus and bilaterally in the mPFC during body-related tasks. The present meta-analysis provides a comprehensive overview of the patterns of brain activity evoked by task stimuli, thereby augmenting the current comprehension of the pathophysiology in AN.

Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Meta-analysis; Task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging.

Publication types

Review
Meta-Analysis
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Anorexia Nervosa* / diagnostic imaging
Brain
Brain Mapping
Comprehension / physiology
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods