Oxytocin and Incitement to Use Olfactory Stimuli in Restrictive Anorexia Nervosa

Overview

This prospective pilot study will compare adolescents with restrictive anorexia nervosa who participated for 3 months at olfactory workshops, patients who did not, and healthy patients.The groups will be evaluated before the workshops and after three months, with the wanting score after olfactory stimuli and with serum oxytocin level.

The restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN) in adolescents is an eating disorder with decreased desire to eat (wanting) following olfactory stimulation. Oxytocin is an hormone involved in the neuromodulation of eating behavior, but also involved in olfactory perception in schizophrenia patients, and in social cognition in patients with autism. Its plasma level was found low in anorexic patients compared to control subjects. Because of the similarity in disorders of social cognition between these three diseases, we assume that the desire to eat evoked by olfactory perception varies with the plasma oxytocin levels. With a prospective pilot study we will compare patients with AN who participated for 3 months at olfactory workshops, AN patients who did not, and healthy patients. The groups will be evaluated before the workshops and after three months, with the wanting score after olfactory stimuli and with serum oxytocin level. One application of this study will be the use of ocytocyne nasal spray to increase the eating desire and to allow weight regain

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes