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Neural response to angry and disgusted facial expressions in bulimia nervosa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 May 2011

F. Ashworth ,
A. Pringle ,
R. Norbury ,
C. J. Harmer ,
P. J. Cowen  and
M. J. Cooper
F. Ashworth
Affiliation:
Oxford Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
A. Pringle
Affiliation:
Psychopharmacology and Emotion Research Laboratory (PERL), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
R. Norbury
Affiliation:
Psychopharmacology Research Unit (PPRU), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
C. J. Harmer
Affiliation:
Psychopharmacology and Emotion Research Laboratory (PERL), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
P. J. Cowen
Affiliation:
Psychopharmacology Research Unit (PPRU), Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, UK
M. J. Cooper*
Affiliation:
Oxford Doctoral Course in Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford, UK
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr M. J. Cooper, Isis Education Centre, University of Oxford, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

Processing emotional facial expressions is of interest in eating disorders (EDs) as impairments in recognizing and understanding social cues might underlie the interpersonal difficulties experienced by these patients. Disgust and anger are of particular theoretical and clinical interest. The current study investigated the neural response to facial expressions of anger and disgust in bulimia nervosa (BN).

Method

Participants were 12 medication-free women with BN in an acute episode (mean age 24 years), and 16 age-, gender- and IQ-matched healthy volunteers (HVs). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to examine neural responses to angry and disgusted facial expressions.

Results

Compared with HVs, patients with BN had a decreased neural response in the precuneus to facial expressions of both anger and disgust and a decreased neural response to angry facial expressions in the right amygdala.

Conclusions

The neural response to emotional facial expressions in BN differs from that found in HVs. The precuneus response may be consistent with the application of mentalization theory to EDs, and the amygdala response with relevant ED theory. The findings are preliminary, but novel, and require replication in a larger sample.

Keywords

Angerbulimia nervosadisgustfacial expressionsneuroimaging
Type
Original Articles
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 41 , Issue 11 , November 2011 , pp. 2375 - 2384
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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