Abnormal Spontaneous Regional Brain Activity in Young Patients With Anorexia Nervosa

Objective Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have repeatedly shown alterations in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN). These alterations might be driven by baseline signal characteristics such as the (fractional) amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (fALFF/ALFF), as well as regional signal consistency (ie, regional homogeneity [ReHo]) within circumscribed brain regions. Previous studies have also demonstrated gray matter (pseudo-) atrophy in underweight individuals with AN. Here we study fALFF/ALFF and ReHo in predominantly adolescent patients with AN, while taking gray matter changes into consideration. Method Resting state fMRI data were acquired from a sample of 148 female volunteers: 74 underweight patients with AN and 74 age-matched female healthy controls (HC). Results Group differences for fALFF and ReHo measures were found in several AN-relevant brain regions, including networks related to cognitive control, habit formation, and the ventral visual stream. Furthermore, the magnitude of correlation between gray matter volume/thickness and fALFF and ReHo were reduced in AN compared to HC. Conclusion Abnormal local resting state characteristics in AN-related brain-networks as well as reduced structure−function relationships may help to explain previously reported task-related and classical resting state neural alterations in underweight AN. Patients with AN may serve as a valuable population for investigating dynamic changes in the relationships between brain structure and function.