Table 1.
Characteristics and key findings of included studies using MRI as the primary method
| Authors & Journal | Participants | Mean age (SD) | % Female | Procedure | Psychiatric / other exclusions | Findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Coutinho et al. (2015) [22] International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48(2): 206-214. |
BN (n=21) HCs (n=20) | BN: 31.57 (8.27) HCs: 30.9 (8.79) |
100% | One resting-state MRI | Substance abuse disorder; suicidal ideation; Axis I disorder other than eating disorder; psychotropic medication with the exception of anxiolytics and antidepressants | Volume reduction in the CN within the frontostriatal circuit in BN compared to HCs |
| 2. Doraiswamy et al. (1990) [37] Biological Psychiatry, 28: 110-116. |
BN (n = 10) AN (n = 8) HCs (n = 13) |
BN: 24 (2.5) AN: 22.8 (4.4) HCs: 27.5 (5.1) |
100% | One resting-state MRI | Major affective disorder | AN & BN vs HCs: smaller pituitary gland area and heights A trend approaching statistical significance was found: the area of the pituitary was negatively correlated with duration of illness |
| 3. Galusca et al. (2014) [39] The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, 15: 599-608. |
BN-P* (n=9) HCs (n=11) *only severe BN-P participants selected; criterion being at least one binge-purge episode/day for at least six months |
BN-P: Only the age range (18-30y) was reported. No mean or SD. HCs: No data, however reported to be age-matched. |
100% | MRI and PET completed 2h following lunch + PET to specifically examine serotonergic activity / binding potential of [18F]MPPF (a serotonin specific radiogland used in PET capable of assessing change in brain serotonin) |
Chronic or congenital disease; alcohol, tobacco or drug consumption; previous or current diagnosis of AN-R; medication In the BN group: oral contraceptive pill |
BN vs HCs: increased binding potential in four clusters in the brain: Insula and transverse temporal cortex, operculum, temporo-parietal cortex Abnormalities in impaired activation, glucose metabolism or ligand binding in areas including insula and temporal parietal cortex, hippocampal region, inter-hemispheric cortex, PFC and dorsal raphe nucleus |
| 4. Hoffman et al. (1989) [35] Biological Psychiatry, 25: 894-902. |
BN (n=8) HCs (n=8) |
BN:24.1 HCs: 26.8 No SD reported |
100% | One resting-state MRI | Past diagnosis of AN; current diagnosis of major affective disorder; alcohol abuse | BN vs HCs: cortical atrophy found in the sagittal cerebral / cranio ratio (SCCR) but not in the ventricle:brain ratio (VBR) Significant positive correlation between binge frequency and VBR |
| 5. Hoffman et al. (1990) [38] Biological Psychiatry, 27: 116-119. |
BN (n=8) HC (n=7) |
BN 24.3 (3.2) HC 24.3 (3.4) |
100% | One resting-state MRI | Current diagnosis of major affective disorder; alcohol abuse In the BN & HC group: lifetime diagnosis of AN; medication |
BN vs HC: Significant decrease in inferior frontal grey matter |
| 6. Husain et al. (1992) [36] Biological Psychiatry, 31: 735-738. |
BN (n=12) AN (n=12) HCs (n=11) |
BN 24.5 (4) AN: 25.3 (7) 27.8 (6) |
100% | One resting-state MRI | In the BN group: past diagnosis of AN | AN vs. BN & HCs: Significantly smaller thalamus and midbrain (mesencephalon) area The ratio of thalamus to cerebral hemisphere and midbrain to cerebral hemisphere was significantly smaller in BN & AN vs. HCs however post-hoc tests showed this result was only related to AN participants |
| 7. Schäfer et al. (2010) [24] NeuroImage, 50: 639-643. |
BN-P (n=14) BED (n=17) HCs (n=19) | BN-P: 23.1 (3.8) BED: 26.4 (6.4) HCs: 22.3 (2.6) |
100% | One resting-state MRI to examine structural brain abnormalities. Grey matter volumes (GMV) for specific regions involved in food / reinforcement processing were analysed via voxel-based morphometry: medial / lateral OFC, insula, ACC, ventral / dorsal striatum | Depression; left-handedness; medication | BN vs. BED: greater GMV of medial and lateral orbitofrontal cortex as well as ventral & dorsal striatum BN vs HCs: increased GMV of medial OFC & ventral striatum BED vs HCs: greater GMV of ACC & medial OFC BN & BED vs. HCs: greater volumes of the medial OFC BN vs BED & HCs: increased ventral striatum volumes; BMI was negatively correlated with striatal grey matter volume while purging was positively correlated with ventral striatum volume |