CCK response in bulimia nervosa and following remission

- Prior findings in bulimia nervosa indicate an abnormal response of the satiety hormone CCK
- Unknown if altered functioning is cause, consequence or maintenance factor in binge eating
- Implications of study are CCK responsivity may normalize in those who remit from bulimia

The core defining features of bulimia nervosa (BN) are repeated binge eating episodes and inappropriate compensatory (e.g., purging) behavior. Previous studies suggest an abnormal post-prandial response in the satiety-signaling peptide cholecystokinin (CCK) in persons with BN. It is unknown whether this altered response persists following remission or if it may be a potential target for the development of clinical treatment strategies. To examine the nature of this altered response, this study assessed whether CCK normalizes following remission from BN (RBN). This study prospectively evaluated the plasma CCK response and corresponding eating behavior-related ratings (e.g., satiety, fullness, hunger, urge to binge and vomit) in individuals with BN-purging subtype (n = 10), RBN-purging subtype (n = 14), and healthy controls (CON, n = 13) at baseline, + 15, + 30, and + 60 min following the ingestion of a standardized liquid test meal.Subject groups did not significantly differ in CCK response to the test meal. A significant relationship between CCK response and satiety ratings was observed in the RBN group (r = .59, p < .05 two-tailed). A new and unanticipated finding in the BN group was a significant relationship between CCK response and ratings of “urge to vomit” (r = .86, p < .01, two-tailed).Unlike previous investigations, CCK response did not differ in BN and CON groups. Thus the role of symptom severity remains an area of further investigation. Additionally, findings suggest that in this sample, CCK functioning following remission from BN-purging subtype is not different from controls. It remains unknown whether or not CCK functioning may be a protective or liability factor in the stabilization and recovery process. Replication studies utilizing a larger sample size are needed to further elucidate the role of CCK in recovery from BN and its potential target of related novel treatment strategies.