SEROTONIN, MOOD AND COGNITION IN ANOREXIA NERVOSA

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. In this study, we hope to learn more about how serotonin, a brain chemical, is involved in mood and cognition in anorexia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disorder associated with an intense fear of becoming fat and refusal to maintain a healthy minimum weight. There is evidence to suggest that before developing the disorder, women with anorexia may have higher levels of serotonin compared to healthy women. It is thought that chronically elevated serotonin may contribute to a heightened level of anxiety in AN sufferers. High levels of serotonin might also be related to the body perception distortions that characterize the disorder as well as abnormalities in food intake behaviors. For example, restricting food intake results in lower plasma levels of the precursor to serotonin, the essential amino acid tryptophan. One study has been reported to suggest that lowering tryptophan levels through a dietary manipulation reduces anxiety in anorexic women without a similar effect in control women (Kaye, 2003). We plan to assess the reactivity of the serotonin system in AN sufferers versus healthy controls using a more comprehensive design than that reported by Kaye et al. (2003). We hope that this study will help us to understand how neurobiological systems are impacted by anorexia more fully; we also hope to learn more about consequences of elevated serotonin.