Neurochemical abnormalities in anorexia nervosa: similarities to affective disorders.

Certain investigators have asserted that the illness of anorexia nervosa is a form of hypothalamic disturbance. The relationship between 24-hr urine 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) and dexamethasone suppression tests was examined in 13 female patients with AN diagnosed by RDC. Patients showed a consistent association between low urine MHPG and failure to suppress to dexamethasone. In addition, family histories of index cases showed a high percentage of relatives with either primary affective disorder or alcoholism. These results are evidence in support of an hypothesis of hypothalamic dysfunction in AN. Furthermore, these biochemical parameters are also found to be abnormal in PAD. These data, coupled with the genetic material, suggest a link between AN and PAD.