Research reportReduced connectivity between the left fusiform body area and the extrastriate body area in anorexia nervosa is associated with body image distortion

The aim of the present study was to investigate the network and its effective connectivity subserving body processing in women suffering from anorexia nervosa (AN) and also in healthy controls. Ten women diagnosed with AN and 15 healthy, age matched controls were investigated using fMRI during viewing images of bodies and chairs. Effective connectivity between cortical areas which are involved in human visual body processing was accessed. Effective connectivity analysis yielded evidence for a different network in AN and healthy controls during visual processing of human bodies. Left sided effective connectivity in the occipital cortex of women with AN showed a highly negative correlation with body size misjudgment. Present results yield evidence for altered networks for body processing in women with AN. Results explain body size misjudgment, a key feature in AN, which seems to be based on reduced effective connectivity in the body processing network.

► Women with anorexia nervosa (AN) use altered cortical networks for body processing. ► Effective connectivity is in the visual system is altered in women with AN. ► Effective connectivity correlates negative with the body size misjudgment in AN. ► These results supports earlier findings on visual body processing in women with AN.