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- Title
Leptin and psychopathological correlates of eating disorders.
- Authors
Rossi, E.; Cassioli, E.; Castellini, G.; Lelli, L.; Gironi, V.; Comeglio, P.; Squecco, R.; Maggi, M.; Vignozzi, L.; Ricca, V.
- Abstract
Introduction: It has been hypothesized that leptin's modifications in Eating Disorders (EDs) aren't just a consequence of malnutrition, but they also represent a maintenance factor for pathological reward-related eating behaviours, such as dietary restraint and compensatory physical exercise, due to the role of leptin in the regulation of dopaminergic tone in brain reward circuits. Objectives: To evaluate the role of leptin in maintaining dietary restriction and compensatory exercise in subjects with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN). Methods: 56 patients were enrolled, 39 with AN and 17 with BN; 43 healthy controls (HCs) were also recruited. Blood leptin levels were measured and psychometric tests for the evaluation of general psychopathology (SCL-90-R) and of EDs specific pathological behaviours and psychopathology (EDE-Q) were administered. Results: Lower leptin levels were found in subjects withANand BN as compared with HCs. Leptin was negatively associated with the frequency of compensatory exercise, even when adjusting for age and BMI, but only in subjects with EDs. The moderated mediation models confirmed the role of leptin as a complete mediator for the relationship between low BMI and increased dietary restriction and compensatory exercise, but only for high levels of EDs specific psychopathology. Conclusions: These results suggest that for subjects with severe EDs psychopathology a low BMI maintains dietary restraint and compensatory exercise through a decrease in leptin levels, probably because of the role of leptin in reward circuits and due to the presence in EDs patients of an aberrant food-related reward that makes losing weight instead of feeding the desirable aim.
- Subjects
LEPTIN; EATING disorders; REWARD (Psychology); FOOD habits; WEIGHT loss
- Publication
European Psychiatry, 2020, Vol 63, pS125
- ISSN
0924-9338
- Publication type
Article