Changes of body composition in bulimia nervosa: increased visceral fat and adrenal gland size.

Objective: To study the hypothesis that young women suffering from active bulimia nervosa (BN) have more visceral fat and increased adrenal gland volumes (AGV) than healthy controls (HC).

Methods: Thirteen patients with BN of purging type and 11 healthy age and weight matched women (HC), aged between 19 and 36 years (mean 24 +/- 3 years), with a BMI of 19 to 29 (mean 24 +/- SD 3) were examined. BN was diagnosed by DSM-IV criteria and the severity of illness by the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2).

Increase of visceral fat and adrenal gland volume in women with depression: preliminary results of a morphometric MRI study.

Objective: Depression is often accompanied by increased visceral adipose tissue (VAT), stress, enlarged adrenal glands, and an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. VAT turn-over is regulated by adrenal stress hormones such as cortisol. Aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the adrenal volume as a marker for long-term stress and the volume fractions of several body fat compartments in healthy and depressive women.

Self-face recognition in schizophrenia.

Objective: Altered self-awareness might be a core feature of schizophrenia. Facial self-recognition in children and non-human primates has been linked to the emergence of self-awareness. In this study, the ability to recognize the own face as an indicator of certain aspects of self-awareness was investigated in patients with schizophrenia.