Neurodevelopmental Sequelae of Anorexia Nervosa

Abstract

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe mental illness with substantial morbidity and mortality. The central, salient disturbance in AN is restriction of food intake, leading to inappropriately low body weight. Onset of illness is most common during mid-adolescence, and approximately 1% of female individuals are affected over a lifetime, across all socioeconomic classes.¹ Despite advancements in treatment for adolescents with AN, remission rates remain disappointing-less than 50% of teens typically respond to initial treatment.² Among those who achieve remission, subsequent relapses of AN are common, as is the presence of affective disorders later in life.².