Neuroimaging insights into brain mechanisms of early-onset restrictive eating disorders

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Clara A. Moreau - , University of Montreal (Author)
  • Anael Ayrolles - , Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Robert-Debré (AP-HP) (Author)
  • Christopher R.K. Ching - , Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (Author)
  • Robin Bonicel - , Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Robert-Debré (AP-HP) (Author)
  • Alexandre Mathieu - , Université Paris Cité (Author)
  • Coline Stordeur - , Hôpital Robert-Debré (AP-HP) (Author)
  • Clara El Khantour - , University of Montreal (Author)
  • Pierre Bergeret - , University of Montreal (Author)
  • Nicolas Traut - , Institut Pasteur Paris (Author)
  • Lydie Tran - , Université Paris Cité (Author)
  • David Germanaud - , French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Robert-Debré (AP-HP) (Author)
  • Marianne Alison - , Hôpital Robert-Debré (AP-HP) (Author)
  • Monique Elmaleh-Bergès - , Hôpital Robert-Debré (AP-HP) (Author)
  • Stefan Ehrlich - , Division of Psychological and Social Medicine and Developmental Neurosciences (Author)
  • Paul M. Thompson - , Keck School of Medicine at University of Southern California (Author)
  • Thomas Bourgeron - , Université Paris Cité (Author)
  • Richard Delorme - , Université Paris Cité, Hôpital Robert-Debré (AP-HP) (Author)

Abstract

Early-onset restrictive eating disorders (rEO-ED) encompass a heterogeneous group of conditions, including early-onset anorexia nervosa (EO-AN) and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorders (ARFID). However, the impact of rEO-ED on brain morphometry remains largely unknown. Here we performed the largest magnetic resonance imaging-derived brain features comparison of children and early adolescents (<13 years) with EO-AN (n = 124) or ARFID (n = 50) versus typically developing individuals (TD, n = 116). EO-AN was associated with widespread cortex thinning, while underweight patients with ARFID exhibited reduced surface area and volumes compared with TD. Despite similar body mass index distributions, EO-AN and ARFID showed distinct structural patterns, suggesting independent brain mechanisms. Finally, we identified overlapping patterns of brain thickness differences between EO-AN and obsessive–compulsive disorder and between ARFID and autism spectrum disorder. Future studies are required to partition the contribution of body mass index versus rEO-ED mechanisms, as well as to identify shared mechanisms with other neurodevelopmental conditions toward a multidimensional approach of eating disorders.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)780-788
Number of pages9
JournalNature Mental Health
Volume3
Issue number7
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-2132-4445/work/197964612