A debilitating and overbearing disease affecting the mind and the body, anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder that is blind to gender, race, and age. However, certain characteristics in the genetic makeup of an individual have led researchers to believe there are biological cofactors that have a significant impact in the onset and development of anorexia and other related eating disorders. Therefore, through an analysis of intrinsic biology as well as external developmental influence, we might be able to correlate how the genetic predisposition of an individual may, in addition to suggestive environmental influences, initiate development of anorexia nervosa. Characterized by abnormal eating and changes in both attitude and perception
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Unlike simple starvation, anorexia causes an excess of orexigenic and anorexigenic signaling to occur in the hypothalamus, or feeding stimulatory and inhibitory signaling, respectively. Leptin, a 16-kDa protein, serves as a critical element of this signaling system. This receptor affects neuropeptide Y, a common orexigenic signal, and anorexigenic signals such as corticotropin releasing factors. A decrease in leptin, the adiposity signal stimulated by fat tissue, causes an unbalanced shift of feeding feeding-regulatory circuitry in the hypothalamus (). This concept enforces the suggestion that the amount of energy withheld by the body can be detected by the central nervous system; for example, decreased leptin levels ultimately increase orexigenic signals that trigger eating. Anorexigenic signals are affected in an opposite fashion; leptin levels that appear to decrease cause NPY …show more content…
Acevedo, single nucleotide polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) also play a major influence in classifying the typical anorexic patient and may serve as an intermediate phenotype to analyze when discussing possible treatment routes. Oxytocin, a peptide hormone that influences social behavior, has also been linked to psychiatric illnesses including additions and a variety of different eating disorders. The intermediate phenotypes associated with anorexia specifically reveal a reduction in social cognitive function; this could be related to polymorphic and epigenetic changes in the OXTR gene. For example, an OXTR single polymorphism (SNP), the A allele of rs53576, can be correlated with low levels of self esteem; self esteem issues, high personal standards, and high anxiety all correlate to the initial development of anorexia nervosa. Acevedo’s study sought to relate the alleles of the OXTR gene to these social stress cues, and focused on discovering the biological pathway differences that may correlate to the development of these characteristics. For proper examination, the research team took blood samples from the control and experimental groups for DNA isolation and SNP analysis. The study ultimately generated evidence that the clinical symptoms of anorexia nervosa could be correlated with the polymorphisms of OXTR; those carriers for two common SNPs of the OXTR gene were classified by an indistinguishible
Unlike simple starvation, anorexia causes an excess of orexigenic and anorexigenic signaling to occur in the hypothalamus, or feeding stimulatory and inhibitory signaling, respectively. Leptin, a 16-kDa protein, serves as a critical element of this signaling system. This receptor affects neuropeptide Y, a common orexigenic signal, and anorexigenic signals such as corticotropin releasing factors. A decrease in leptin, the adiposity signal stimulated by fat tissue, causes an unbalanced shift of feeding feeding-regulatory circuitry in the hypothalamus (). This concept enforces the suggestion that the amount of energy withheld by the body can be detected by the central nervous system; for example, decreased leptin levels ultimately increase orexigenic signals that trigger eating. Anorexigenic signals are affected in an opposite fashion; leptin levels that appear to decrease cause NPY …show more content…
Acevedo, single nucleotide polymorphisms of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) also play a major influence in classifying the typical anorexic patient and may serve as an intermediate phenotype to analyze when discussing possible treatment routes. Oxytocin, a peptide hormone that influences social behavior, has also been linked to psychiatric illnesses including additions and a variety of different eating disorders. The intermediate phenotypes associated with anorexia specifically reveal a reduction in social cognitive function; this could be related to polymorphic and epigenetic changes in the OXTR gene. For example, an OXTR single polymorphism (SNP), the A allele of rs53576, can be correlated with low levels of self esteem; self esteem issues, high personal standards, and high anxiety all correlate to the initial development of anorexia nervosa. Acevedo’s study sought to relate the alleles of the OXTR gene to these social stress cues, and focused on discovering the biological pathway differences that may correlate to the development of these characteristics. For proper examination, the research team took blood samples from the control and experimental groups for DNA isolation and SNP analysis. The study ultimately generated evidence that the clinical symptoms of anorexia nervosa could be correlated with the polymorphisms of OXTR; those carriers for two common SNPs of the OXTR gene were classified by an indistinguishible