SEROTONIN FUNCTION IN PATIENTS WITH EATING DISORDERS

神经性贪食症综合征是一种严重的精神疾病 以不正常的饮食模式和心理症状为特征的 包括对体型和体重的关注。神经性贪食症是 估计影响到2%的妇女（和少数妇女）， 男性）的高中和大学年龄，人口的风险最高。 最近，人们也越来越认识到， 暴饮暴食的流行与相关的心理困扰， 在超重受试者中暂时被确定为暴食症 谁也不清。神经生物学改变可能有助于 初始发作和/或这些疾病中症状的持续。 目前有很多兴趣的假设，受损的中央 5-羟色胺功能导致餐后饱腹感反应减弱 神经性贪食症患者 这一假设与 临床前研究证明下丘脑5-羟色胺的主要作用 在调节进食引起的饱腹感方面。初步证据表明， 在一些正常体重的神经性贪食症患者中， 来自药理学/神经内分泌挑战研究 反应、脑脊液代谢物和药物治疗 问题研究采用单盲、安慰剂对照的急性药理学 挑战与5-羟色胺激动剂芬氟拉明，这项研究将比较 女性神经性贪食症的神经内分泌反应 正常体重的患者，症状缓解的神经性贪食症患者， 在超重的暴食患者中， 无暴饮暴食行为的患者，年龄和性别匹配的 对照作为确定可能的机制的后续步骤， 神经性贪食症中5-羟色胺突触失调，该项目将 还进行了双盲、安慰剂对照的药物激发试验 在女性患者中使用选择性5-羟色胺-1A受体激动剂的研究 神经性贪食症患者和健康对照组。临床变量，如 暴食症状的持续时间和严重程度、体重和饮食 抑郁症状的模式、严重程度和月经周期的改变 功能将被评价为改变的肾上腺素能神经递质的预测因子。 响应能力。这项研究将提供新的数据， 神经性贪食症病理生理学中的中枢多巴胺能改变 以及暂时确定的暴食症综合征。

The syndrome of bulimia nervosa is a serious psychiatric disorder characterized by abnormal eating patterns with psychological symptoms involving preoccupation with body shape and weight. Bulimia nervosa is estimated to affect up to two per cent of women (and a smaller number of men) of high school and college age, the population at highest risk. Recently there has also been increased awareness of the significant prevalence of binge eating with associated psychological distress, provisionally identified as binge eating disorder, in overweight subjects who do not purge. Neurobiological alterations may contribute to the initial onset and / or to the perpetuation of symptoms in these disorders. There is much current interest in the hypothesis that impaired central serotonin function contributes to blunted post-prandial satiety responses in patients with bulimia nervosa. This hypothesis is consistent with preclinical studies demonstrating a major role for hypothalamic serotonin in mediating meal-induced satiety. Preliminary evidence for reduced serotonin function in some normal weight bulimia nervosa patients has emerged from studies of pharmacological / neuroendocrine challenge responses, cerebrospinal fluid metabolites, and pharmacological treatment studies. Utilizing single-blind, placebo-controlled acute pharmacological challenge with the serotonin agonist fenfluramine, this study will compare neuroendocrine responses in currently Symptomatic female bulimia nervosa patients at normal weight, in symptom remitted bulimia nervosa patients, in overweight patients with binge eating symptomatology, in overweight patients free of binge eating behaviors, and in age- and sex-matched controls. As a follow-up step in identifying possible mechanisms of serotonin synaptic dysregulation in bulimia nervosa, this project will also conduct double-blind, placebo-controlled pharmacological challenge studies with a selective serotonin-1A receptor agonist in female patients with bulimia nervosa and healthy controls. Clinical variables such as duration and severity of bulimic symptoms, body weight and dietary pattern, severity of depressive symptoms, and alterations in menstrual function will be evaluated as predictors of altered serotonergic responsiveness. This study will provide new data on the possible role of central serotonergic alterations in the pathophysiology of bulimia nervosa and in the provisionally identified syndrome of binge eating disorder.