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Hebebrand J, Milos G, Wabitsch M, Teufel M, Führer D, Bühlmeier J, Libuda L, Ludwig C, Antel J. Clinical Trials Required to Assess Potential Benefits and Side Effects of Treatment of Patients With Anorexia Nervosa With Recombinant Human Leptin. Front Psychol 2019; 10:769. [PMID: 31156489 PMCID: PMC6533856 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The core phenotype of anorexia nervosa (AN) comprises the age and stage dependent intertwining of both its primary and secondary (i.e., starvation induced) somatic and mental symptoms. Hypoleptinemia acts as a key trigger for the adaptation to starvation by affecting diverse brain regions including the reward system and by induction of alterations of the hypothalamus-pituitary-“target-organ” axes, e.g., resulting in amenorrhea as a characteristic symptom of AN. Particularly, the rat model activity-based anorexia (ABA) convincingly demonstrates the pivotal role of hypoleptinemia in the development of starvation-induced hyperactivity. STAT3 signaling in dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) plays a crucial role in the transmission of the leptin signal in ABA. In patients with AN, an inverted U-shaped relationship has been observed between their serum leptin levels and physical activity. Albeit obese and therewith of a very different phenotype, humans diagnosed with rare congenital leptin deficiency have starvation like symptoms including hypothalamic amenorrhea in females. Over the past 20 years, such patients have been successfully treated with recombinant human (rh) leptin (metreleptin) within a compassionate use program. The extreme hunger of these patients subsides within hours upon initiation of treatment; substantial weight loss and menarche in females ensue after medium term treatment. In contrast, metreleptin had little effect in patients with multifactorial obesity. Small clinical trials have been conducted for hypothalamic amenorrhea and to increase bone mineral density, in which metreleptin proved beneficial. Up to now, metreleptin has not yet been used to treat patients with AN. Metreleptin has been approved by the FDA under strict regulations solely for the treatment of generalized lipodystrophy. The recent approval by the EMA may offer, for the first time, the possibility to treat extremely hyperactive patients with AN off-label. Furthermore, a potential dissection of hypoleptinemia-induced AN symptoms from the primary cognitions and behaviors of these patients could ensue. Accordingly, the aim of this article is to review the current state of the art of leptin in relation to AN to provide the theoretical basis for the initiation of clinical trials for treatment of this eating disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Hebebrand
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Gabriella Milos
- Department of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry and Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Martin Wabitsch
- Division of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Hospital, Ulm, Germany
| | - Martin Teufel
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Dagmar Führer
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Medical Center and Central Laboratory, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Judith Bühlmeier
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Lars Libuda
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Christine Ludwig
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jochen Antel
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Frank GKW, Favaro A, Marsh R, Ehrlich S, Lawson EA. Toward valid and reliable brain imaging results in eating disorders. Int J Eat Disord 2018; 51:250-261. [PMID: 29405338 PMCID: PMC7449370 DOI: 10.1002/eat.22829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2017] [Revised: 01/13/2018] [Accepted: 01/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Human brain imaging can help improve our understanding of mechanisms underlying brain function and how they drive behavior in health and disease. Such knowledge may eventually help us to devise better treatments for psychiatric disorders. However, the brain imaging literature in psychiatry and especially eating disorders has been inconsistent, and studies are often difficult to replicate. The extent or severity of extremes of eating and state of illness, which are often associated with differences in, for instance hormonal status, comorbidity, and medication use, commonly differ between studies and likely add to variation across study results. Those effects are in addition to the well-described problems arising from differences in task designs, data quality control procedures, image data preprocessing and analysis or statistical thresholds applied across studies. Which of those factors are most relevant to improve reproducibility is still a question for debate and further research. Here we propose guidelines for brain imaging research in eating disorders to acquire valid results that are more reliable and clinically useful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guido K. W. Frank
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado,Neuroscience Program, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Angela Favaro
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Rachel Marsh
- Department of Psychiatry, The New York State Psychiatric Institute and the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Stefan Ehrlich
- Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neuroscience, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany,Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Eating Disorder Treatment and Research Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A. Lawson
- Neuroendocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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Martin Monzon B, Henderson LA, Madden S, Macefield VG, Touyz S, Kohn MR, Clarke S, Foroughi N, Hay P. Grey matter volume in adolescents with anorexia nervosa and associated eating disorder symptoms. Eur J Neurosci 2017; 46:2297-2307. [PMID: 28833732 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.13659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2017] [Revised: 07/26/2017] [Accepted: 08/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a mental health disorder of complex aetiology. Previous neuroimaging studies have found consistent global reductions in global grey matter volume of underweight girls with AN; however, differences in regional grey matter volumes are less consistent. The aims of this study were to investigate grey matter regional volumes of adolescent girls with AN before and after weight recovery and the relationship of any changes with clinical characteristics. We collected high-resolution T1-weighted images from 26 underweight girls with AN before weight gain and 20 healthy control volunteers. Clinical features were assessed using the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire. AN subjects displayed reduced grey matter volumes in the insula, amygdala, prefrontal, hippocampal and cingulate cortices and the precuneus, relative to healthy controls. In a subset of 10 AN subjects who were followed after weight recovery, grey matter volumes increased to near-control levels in the orbito- and medial prefrontal, insular, left hippocampal and mid- and posterior cingulate cortices and precuneus. The recovery of the right anterior thalamus and the left orbitofrontal cortex was correlated with improvements in eating concerns and shape concerns, respectively. However, large parts of the anterior cingulate cortex, caudate nuclei and right hippocampus did not display any grey matter recovery following a short-term of treatment. These results show that in adolescents with AN, some brain regions display marked recovery in grey matter volume following weight recovery, whereas others do not, considering grey mater recovery possibly linked to symptom improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Martin Monzon
- Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, Sydney, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Luke A Henderson
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Sloane Madden
- School of Medicine, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Stephen Touyz
- Clinical Psychology Unit, School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Michael R Kohn
- Centre for Research into Adolescents' Health (CRASH), Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Simon Clarke
- Centre for Research into Adolescents' Health (CRASH), Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Nasim Foroughi
- Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, Sydney, NSW, 2751, Australia
| | - Phillipa Hay
- Translational Health Research Institute (THRI), School of Medicine, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, Sydney, NSW, 2751, Australia
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Brown TA, Berner LA, Jones MD, Reilly EE, Cusack A, Anderson LK, Kaye WH, Wierenga CE. Psychometric Evaluation and Norms for the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) in a Clinical Eating Disorders Sample. EUROPEAN EATING DISORDERS REVIEW 2017; 25:411-416. [PMID: 28714581 DOI: 10.1002/erv.2532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 84] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2017] [Revised: 05/12/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Altered interoceptive awareness (IA) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of eating disorders; however, few comprehensive self-report measures of IA exist in eating disorders. The present study sought to validate the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA), originally developed to assess IA in individuals practicing mind-body therapies, in an eating disorder sample. Adult and adolescent patients (n = 376) completed assessments upon admission to a partial hospital programme. Analyses examined the factor structure of the MAIA, scale means, scale-scale correlations, internal consistency and construct validity. Analyses also examined associations between MAIA subscales and eating disorder symptoms. Results supported the original eight-factor structure of the MAIA. Internal consistency was acceptable, and the scales converged with associated measures. Importantly, Not Distracting, Self-regulation, Body Listening and Trusting were most strongly associated with eating disorder symptoms. Results support use of the MAIA among eating disorders and provide further support for the relevance of IA in eating disorders. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany A Brown
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Laura A Berner
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Michelle D Jones
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Erin E Reilly
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Anne Cusack
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Leslie K Anderson
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Walter H Kaye
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Christina E Wierenga
- Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
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Doremus-Fitzwater TL, Spear LP. Reward-centricity and attenuated aversions: An adolescent phenotype emerging from studies in laboratory animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 70:121-134. [PMID: 27524639 PMCID: PMC5612441 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.08.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Revised: 08/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Adolescence is an evolutionarily conserved developmental period, with neural circuits and behaviors contributing to the detection, procurement, and receipt of rewards bearing similarity across species. Studies with laboratory animals suggest that adolescence is typified by a "reward-centric" phenotype-an increased sensitivity to rewards relative to adults. In contrast, adolescent rodents are reportedly less sensitive to the aversive properties of many drugs and naturally aversive stimuli. Alterations within the mesocorticolimbic dopamine and endocannabinoid systems likely contribute to an adolescent reward-sensitive, yet aversion-resistant, phenotype. Although early hypotheses postulated that developmental changes in dopaminergic circuitry would result in a "reward deficiency" syndrome, evidence now suggests the opposite: that adolescents are uniquely poised to seek out hedonic stimuli, experience greater "pleasure" from rewards, and consume rewarding stimuli in excess. Future studies that more clearly define the role of specific brain regions and neurotransmitter systems in the expression of behaviors toward reward- and aversive-related cues and stimuli are necessary to more fully understand an adolescent-proclivity for and vulnerability to rewards and drugs of potential abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara L Doremus-Fitzwater
- Developmental Alcohol Exposure Research Center, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA.
| | - Linda P Spear
- Developmental Alcohol Exposure Research Center, Center for Development and Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Psychology, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 13902-6000, USA
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The Role of Psychotropic Medications in the Management of Anorexia Nervosa: Rationale, Evidence and Future Prospects. CNS Drugs 2016; 30:419-42. [PMID: 27106297 PMCID: PMC4873415 DOI: 10.1007/s40263-016-0335-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder without approved medication intervention. Every class of psychoactive medication has been tried to improve treatment outcome; however, randomized controlled trials have been ambiguous at best and across studies have not shown robust improvements in weight gain and recovery. Here we review the available literature on pharmacological interventions since AN came to greater public recognition in the 1960s, including a critical review of why those trials may not have been successful. We further provide a neurobiological background for the disorder and discuss how cognition, learning, and emotion-regulating circuits could become treatment targets in the future. Making every effort to develop effective pharmacological treatment options for AN is imperative as it continues to be a complex psychiatric disorder with high disease burden and mortality.
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Wenzel JM, Rauscher NA, Cheer JF, Oleson EB. A role for phasic dopamine release within the nucleus accumbens in encoding aversion: a review of the neurochemical literature. ACS Chem Neurosci 2015; 6:16-26. [PMID: 25491156 DOI: 10.1021/cn500255p] [Citation(s) in RCA: 83] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival is dictated by an organism's fitness in approaching positive stimuli and avoiding harm. While a rich literature outlines a role for mesolimbic dopamine in reward and appetitive behaviors, dopamine's involvement in aversion and avoidance behaviors remains controversial. Debate surrounding dopamine's function in the processing of negative stimuli likely stems from conflicting results reported by single-unit electrophysiological studies. Indeed, a number of studies suggest that midbrain dopaminergic cells are inhibited by the presentation of negative or fearful stimuli, while others report no change, or even an increase, in their activity. These disparate results may be due to population heterogeneity. Recent evidence demonstrates that midbrain dopamine neurons are heterogeneous in their projection targets, responses to environmental stimuli, pharmacology, and influences on motivated behavior. Thus, in order to assemble an accurate account of dopamine function during aversive stimulus experience and related behavior, it is necessary to examine the functional output of dopamine neural activity at mesolimbic terminal regions. This Review presents a growing body of evidence that dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens encodes not only reward, but also aversion. For example, our laboratory recently utilized fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to show that real-time changes in accumbal dopamine release are detected when animals are presented with predictors of aversion and its avoidance. These data, along with other reports, support a considerably more nuanced view of dopamine neuron function, wherein accumbal dopamine release is differentially modulated by positive and negative affective stimuli to promote adaptive behaviors.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Noah A. Rauscher
- Department
of Psychology, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80015, United States
| | | | - Erik B. Oleson
- Department
of Psychology, University of Colorado, Denver, Colorado 80015, United States
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