Does a shared neurobiology for foods and drugs of abuse contribute to extremes of food ingestion in anorexia and bulimia nervosa?

Convergent dysregulation of frontal cortical cognitive and reward systems in eating disorders

A substantive literature has drawn a compelling case for the functional involvement of mesolimbic/prefrontal cortical neural reward systems in normative control of eating and in the etiology and persistence of severe eating disorders that affect diverse human populations. Presently, we provide a short review that develops an equally compelling case for the importance of dysregulated frontal cortical cognitive neural networks acting in concert with regional reward systems in the regulation of complex eating behaviors and in the presentation of complex pathophysiological symptoms associated with major eating disorders. Our goal is to highlight working models of major eating disorders that incorporate complementary approaches to elucidate functionally interactive neural circuits defined by their regulatory neurochemical phenotypes. Importantly, we also review evidence-based linkages between widely studied psychiatric and neurodegenerative syndromes (e.g., autism spectrum disorders and Parkinson’s disease) and co-morbid eating disorders to elucidate basic mechanisms involving dopaminergic transmission and its regulation by endogenously expressed morphine in these same cortical regions.

Adjunctive Methylphenidate in the Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa Co-occurring with Bipolar Disorder and Substance Dependence

Bulimia nervosa is associated with bipolar disorder, substance dependence, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety disorders. Few reports, however, have addressed the treatment of patients with all of these conditions. We describe a young woman with bulimia nervosa, bipolar I disorder, cocaine and alcohol dependence, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and panic disorder who achieved a sustained (>1 year) remission of her bulimia nervosa symptoms and significant improvement of her attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms with adjunctive methylphenidate after her bipolar, substance use, and panic disorders were successfully treated with hospitalization, intensive psychotherapy, quetiapine, and lamotrigine. Further research into the use of stimulants in bulimia nervosa, including in patients with complex comorbidity, is required.