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News
The largest-ever neuroimaging study of bulimia nervosa reveals that people with the disorder have structural differences in key brain regions tied to reward, motivation, and social processing. More frequent binge eating was linked to even broader brain changes — while compensatory behaviors showed no such association. The findings, published in JAMA Psychiatry, could reshape how we understand and treat the illness.
The largest neuroimaging study of bulimia nervosa to date has found that the disorder is associated with measurable structural differences in the brain — and that binge-eating frequency, not compensatory behaviors, is the key driver of those differences. Researchers at Mount Sinai, working with the global ENIGMA consortium, analyzed MRI scans from 369 women with bulimia nervosa and 417 healthy controls across 17 international cohorts.
Compared to controls, individuals with bulimia nervosa showed lower volume in the nucleus accumbens — a region central to reward and motivation — and reduced surface area in the temporal cortex, which handles sensory and social processing. Crucially, more frequent binge eating was tied to additional structural changes in areas governing cognitive control, emotional regulation, and bodily awareness.
Key Takeaways:
Why it matters: These findings challenge how bulimia nervosa severity is currently defined and open the door to identifying neurobiological targets for earlier intervention and more effective treatment.
