Download Eating Disorders - psychlotron.org.uk

Survey
yes no Was this document useful for you?
   Thank you for your participation!

* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project

Document related concepts

Pharmacogenomics wikipedia , lookup

Twin study wikipedia , lookup

Medical genetics wikipedia , lookup

Behavioural genetics wikipedia , lookup

Heritability of IQ wikipedia , lookup

Transcript
Eating Disorders
Biomedical explanation



Inherited behavioural traits
Neurochemical abnormalities in brain systems
associated with appetite & eating
Structural damage to brain areas associated
with eating
psychlotron.org.uk

Biomedical Hypotheses
Genetics



EDs should run in families
Degree of relatedness to ED patient should
influence risk of developing EDs in others
Neurochemistry


Should be detectable abnormalities in
neurotransmitters/hormones
EDs should respond to drug treatment
psychlotron.org.uk

Genetics
EDs tend to run in families



Kaye (1999) - 10% of ED patients have a
relative who is also an ED patient
Depression, anxiety, OCD more prevalent in
families of ED patients
Difficult to separate effects of genes from
effects of shared environment
psychlotron.org.uk

Genetics
Holland et al (1984); concordance rates for
anorexia:





55% MZ twins
7% DZ twins
Reduces confounding effect of shared
environment
Suggests genetic contribution but not cause
Small sample; finding not always replicated (e.g.
Wade et al, 1998)
psychlotron.org.uk

Brain & Neurochemistry

No evidence for structural damage to
appetite-related hypothamalic regions
Some evidence for chemical abnormalities



Amenorrhoea may precede onset of ED
symptoms
BN may respond to drug treatment
(serotoninergic antidepressants)
Difficulty telling cause from effect
psychlotron.org.uk
