Anorexia linked to overactive dopamine

PITTSBURGH, Jul 07, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A University of Pittsburgh study says the eating disorder anorexia nervosa may be due to over-activity of a chemical system deep inside the brain.

Those with the disorder are driven to be excessively thin but seem unaware of the seriousness of their condition.

The study, reported in the journal Biological Psychiatry, found such people have overactive dopamine receptors in the brain's basal ganglia.

This brain area is known to play a role in how people learn from experience and make choices.

The disorder affects about 1 percent of American women, some of whom die from complications of the disease. The research may point to a molecular target for development of more effective treatments than those currently available.

"This finding may help us better understand brain dopamine function across a whole spectrum of disorders, with respect to its contribution to the avoidance of food and other stimuli in anorexia nervosa on one end, and the desire for stimuli, such as in food and drug use on the other," said one of the researchers.