Differential Diagnoses of Food-Related Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Patients with Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa: A Review of Literature.

Objectives: The present review investigates the prevalence and medical causes of food-related gastrointestinal symptoms in eating disorder (ED) patients and recommends a diagnostic algorithm based on the current literature.

Methods: A literature search was conducted, which included publications from January 2000 until January 2017 Results: Over 90% of ED patients suffer from food-related symptoms. There is no evidence for a higher prevalence of immunological or structural gastrointestinal disorders in ED patients compared to the healthy population.

Direct skin-to-skin versus indirect touch modulates neural responses to stroking versus tapping.

It remains unclear whether direct interpersonal contact is processed differently from similar soft touch applied through inanimate objects. We performed a functional MRI experiment in healthy volunteers, whereby activity during gentle stroking or tapping was compared between stimuli delivered using the experimenter's hand or a velvet stick. Stroking with a hand elicited larger responses than the other three conditions in the contralateral primary and secondary somatosensory areas and in the posterior insula.

Intra- and extra-cranial effects of transient blood pressure changes on brain near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements.

Brain near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is an emerging neurophysiological tool that combines straightforward activity localization with cost-economy, portability and patient compatibility. NIRS is proving its empirical utility across specific cognitive and emotional paradigms. However, a potential limitation is that it is not only sensitive to haemodynamic changes taking place in the cortex, and task-related cardiovascular responses expressed in the perfusion of extracranial layers may be confounding.