Neuroimaging insights into brain mechanisms of early-onset restrictive eating disorders
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 (<i>n</i> = 124) or ARFID (<i>n</i> = 50) versus typically developing individuals (TD, <i>n</i> = 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.
Authors
- Stefan Ehrlich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2132-4445)
- Christopher R. K. Ching (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2921-3408)
- Lydie Tran
- Richard Delorme (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5614-3663)
- Clara Moreau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6217-731X)
- David Germanaud (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5055-4624)
- Robin Bonicel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0357-5264)
- Coline Stordeur
- Anaël Ayrolles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3202-0781)
- Monique Elmaleh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8190-8202)
- Marianne Alison (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9245-9390)
- Pierre Bergeret
- Clara El Khantour (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7017-3156)
- Thomas Bourgeron (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8164-9220)
- Nicolas Traut (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3277-6316)
- Paul M. Thompson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4720-8867)
- Alexandre Mathieu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3418-9425)
Institutions
- University of Southern California (US)
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Inserm (FR)
- Institut Pasteur (FR)
- Université Paris Cité (FR)
- Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (FR)
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine (CA)
- Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (FR)
- Institut des Sciences du Vivant Frédéric Joliot (FR)
- Hôpital Robert-Debré (FR)
- CEA Paris-Saclay (FR)
- NeuroDiderot (FR)
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Mental Health
- Published
- 2025-06-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44220-025-00447-x
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 6.92
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Institut Pasteur
- Fondation de France
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Université de Paris
- National Institute of Mental Health