Structural alterations of thalamic nuclei and their associations with leptin levels in patients with anorexia nervosa

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Abstract

Background: The thalamus is a complex subcortical brain structure that plays a role in various cognitive functions. Few studies have focused on thalamic nuclei-specific alterations and potential neurohormonal involvement in eating disorders including anorexia nervosa (AN). Methods: We employed a FreeSurfer segmentation tool to compare thalamic nuclei volumes cross-sectionally between females with AN (n = 131, 12–29 years) and age-matched healthy females (HC, n = 131). Potential associations with BMI, leptin, and psychiatric symptoms were analyzed via robust linear regression. Results: Most thalamic nuclei volumes were reduced in both hemispheres in AN versus HC. The spread of alterations ranged between −39.7 % and +3.8 % (average −9.8 %, ηp2 = 0.16). Left laterodorsal and pulvinar inferior nuclei showed positive associations with leptin in AN. Leptin mediated the effect of BMI on both thalamic nuclei volumes. Conclusions: In AN, thalamic nuclei are altered to different degrees with laterodorsal nuclei emerging as substantially reduced. Leptin seems to be mechanistically involved in the reduction of some thalamic nuclei, further supporting the investigation of experimental leptin treatment for AN. Effect sizes observed for thalamic nuclei reductions in AN exceed other brain structures as well as other psychiatric disorders, which demonstrates the importance of the thalamus as a target structure in research on AN.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number111248
JournalProgress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry
Volume136
Publication statusPublished - 10 Jan 2025
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

ORCID /0000-0003-2132-4445/work/176862721
ORCID /0000-0002-2864-5578/work/176862732
ORCID /0000-0001-8029-8270/work/176862883
ORCID /0000-0002-5026-1239/work/176862999
ORCID /0000-0002-5112-405X/work/176863002
ORCID /0000-0002-3907-6630/work/176863211

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Keywords

  • Anorexia nervosa, Leptin, Mediation analysis, Subcortical substructures, Thalamic nuclei