Amygdala and anorexia nervosa: a narrative review

The amygdala, with its ability to attribute emotional value to stimuli and to certain events, is believed to play a role in the etiopathogenetic processes underlying Eating Disorders. In particular, this review will briefly summarize data concerning the alterations found in the structure and functional pathway of the amygdala, in relation to the pathological profile of Anorexia Nervosa (AN). Appropriate keywords and medical subject headings were identified and searched for in PubMed/MEDLINE. References of original articles and reviews were screened, examined, and selected. Numerous studies have identified alterations in the functioning of the amygdala in patients suffering from AN, often with significant differences. Patients showed a significantly reduced amygdala volume, probably because of starvation and malnutrition. In some studies, an hyperactivation of the amygdala was highlighted, while in other hypoactivation was found. In individuals with AN, dysregulated eating patterns are associated with an imbalance between reward-related and cognitive control processing regions. Hyperactivation of the amygdala was highlighted in response to stimuli with salient characteristics for the AN (such as body or nutrition).