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Monday, June 29, 2009

Brain Protein Possible Biomarker for Anorexia

A new study out of Chiba University in Japan has found that women with anorexia have different levels of a certain type of brain protein, suggesting a possible underlying biological cause.
BDNF [brain-derived neurotrophic factor] is a protein made in the brain that is important for the growth and survival of neurons during development, and the researchers found that women with low BDNF also had the lowest self-image, suffered from anxiety and depression, and performed poorly on certain tests of cognitive ability. (Source: News-Medical.net)
Researchers are unclear what role BDNF plays in anorexia -- for example, whether it's a trigger, a result, or some other type of indicator -- and say more study is needed.

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posted by EatingDisordersHelpGuide at 7:53 AM

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