| Bulimia and the brain was the topic of a report | | | | forced the individual to make decisions that went |
| released in January 2008 by General Psychiatry. The | | | | contrary to the subject's normal thinking process. |
| report focused on female patients with bulimia nervosa | | | | Testing was conducted with 20 women suffering with |
| and their lack of impulse control compared to women | | | | bulimia and 20 women with normal eating habits. |
| without an eating disorder. The use of MRI brain scan | | | | Test results showed the women that suffered with |
| showed distinct behavioral differences when faced | | | | bulimia responded quicker and made more errors than |
| with decisions about voluntary behavior. | | | | the control group. The bulimic women when faced with |
| Bulimia nervosa plagues adolescent females and | | | | conflicted reasoning showed less activity in the brain |
| continues into adulthood. Most professionals agree that | | | | circuitry controlling voluntary behavior. |
| binge eating is triggered by a sense of loss of control. | | | | Conclusions reached during testing showed the |
| The act of binge eating and then subsequent voiding | | | | differences in the way the brain circuits moved and |
| of food gives the sufferer a feeling of regaining that | | | | how they performed. The brain activity of the women |
| control. | | | | with bulimia nervosa does not seem to activate |
| During testing the MRI was able to observe the | | | | appropriately; this would imply a lack of impulse control |
| function of electrical currents that travel throughout | | | | and also an inability to make the right decision when |
| nerve cells in the brain. The particular circuitry studied, | | | | faced with binge eating behavior. |
| controlled an individual's voluntary behavior. The testing | | | | |