Nathalie Gérard1, Guido Pieters2, Karolien Goffin1, Guy Bormans3, Koen Van Laere4. 1. Division of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 2. University Psychiatric Centre, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Eating Disorder Clinic Kortenberg, Kortenberg, Belgium. 3. Laboratory for Radiopharmacy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. 4. Division of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Electronic address: koen.vanlaere@uzleuven.be.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The endocannabinoid system is a possible target in the treatment of eating disorders. We used positron emission tomography to investigate the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) in bulimic and anorectic patients. METHODS: We investigated 16 female bulimia nervosa patients (BN) (age = 23.8 ± 7.1 years) and 14 female anorexia nervosa patients (AN) (age = 20.5 ± 3.6 years) using the selective CB1R ligand [(18)F]MK-9470. The control group consisted of 19 age-matched women (age = 25.2 ± 8.5 years). Statistical parametric mapping (p(family-wise error) < .05) and volume-of-interest analyses of CB1R availability were performed. RESULTS: Global CB1R availability was significantly increased in cortical and subcortical brain areas in AN patients compared with healthy control subjects (+24.5%, p = .0003). Regionally, CB1R availability was increased in the insula in both AN and BN patients (p = .01 and p = .0004) and the inferior frontal and temporal cortex in AN patients only (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Global CB1R upregulation in AN patients is a possible long-term compensatory mechanism to an underactive endocannabinoid system in anorectic conditions. There is a similarity in CB1R dysregulation both in AN and BN in the insular cortex, which is involved in the integration of interoceptive information, gustatory information, reward, and emotion processing.
BACKGROUND: The endocannabinoid system is a possible target in the treatment of eating disorders. We used positron emission tomography to investigate the type 1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1R) in bulimic and anorectic patients. METHODS: We investigated 16 female bulimia nervosapatients (BN) (age = 23.8 ± 7.1 years) and 14 female anorexia nervosapatients (AN) (age = 20.5 ± 3.6 years) using the selective CB1R ligand [(18)F]MK-9470. The control group consisted of 19 age-matched women (age = 25.2 ± 8.5 years). Statistical parametric mapping (p(family-wise error) < .05) and volume-of-interest analyses of CB1R availability were performed. RESULTS: Global CB1R availability was significantly increased in cortical and subcortical brain areas in AN patients compared with healthy control subjects (+24.5%, p = .0003). Regionally, CB1R availability was increased in the insula in both AN and BN patients (p = .01 and p = .0004) and the inferior frontal and temporal cortex in AN patients only (p = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Global CB1R upregulation in AN patients is a possible long-term compensatory mechanism to an underactive endocannabinoid system in anorectic conditions. There is a similarity in CB1R dysregulation both in AN and BN in the insular cortex, which is involved in the integration of interoceptive information, gustatory information, reward, and emotion processing.
Authors: Marc D Normandin; Ming-Qiang Zheng; Kuo-Shyan Lin; N Scott Mason; Shu-Fei Lin; Jim Ropchan; David Labaree; Shannan Henry; Wendol A Williams; Richard E Carson; Alexander Neumeister; Yiyun Huang Journal: J Cereb Blood Flow Metab Date: 2015-04-01 Impact factor: 6.200
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