Eating disorders

1. Neurobiology of Anorexia Nervosa

Contact persons: Prof. Dr. S. Ehr­lich, Dipl.-Inf. D. Geis­ler, Dipl.-Psych. J. Zwipp, E. See­ger

Collaborators:

• Prof. Dr. M. Smol­ka, Sys­te­mi­sche Neu­ro­wis­sen­schaf­ten, Dres­den;
• Prof. Dr. U. Lehm­kuhl und Dr. R. Burg­hardt, Kli­nik für Psych­ia­trie, Psy­cho­so­ma­tik und Psy­cho­the­ra­pie des Kin­des- und Ju­gend­al­ters der Cha­rité Uni­ver­si­täts­me­di­zin Ber­lin

Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is one of the most common mental diseases in girls and young women. AN leads to severe medical complications and an increased mortality rate. Due to interruptions of somatic and psychological development processes in the course of this disease, the patients often suffer from long lasting negative consequences.

Previous studies in human subjects and animals have shown alterations in several neurotransmitter systems and neuropeptides, possibly induced by undernourishment and underweight. There is still little knowledge about the biological mechanism that promote the occurrence of this disease. One possibility to distinct “state”-markers (caused by underweight) from the more solid “trait” markers is the examination of patients with AN in different stages of the disease (e.g. acute phase, symptomatic phase and after successful treatment).

In close collaboration with the Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at University Hospital Charité Berlin our group is researching disorders in the serotonergic system, of appetite regulating peptides and neurotrophic proteins as well as genetic associations. Additionally, neural correlates of important AN-involved psychological processes will be analyzed by magnetic resonance imaging methods. In this context we are especially interested in processes of reward, learning, cognitive control and regulation of emotions.

2. Evaluation of benefits of a specific supervised residential group for the after-treatment of female patients with eating disorders

Contact person: Prof. Dr. V. Roessner

Collaborators:

• auguszt & jetter company for innovative social work
• Youth welfare office Dresden
• Social welfare office Dresden
• Prof. Dr. P. Joraschky, Department for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at University Hospital Dresden

Despite intensive family therapy intervention some patients with an eating disorder benefit from a supervised residential group home in the transitional phase after therapy. They live there until they are ready to return to their parents  or are prepared for an independent living in their own flat.

This study is designed to examine the particular therapeutic requirements of such a residential group. Therefore a specific 5-day-residental group hase been established, where 4 young women in the age of 16 to 21  live. We will compare the outcome presented by the patients from this specified residential group with the development of patients that live in a residential group without any specific approach for eating disorders.