Deciphering the association between morphological differences in hypothalamic subregions and circulating ghrelin and leptin concentrations: exploratory evidence in anorexia nervosa and obesity.

ABSTRACT: The hypothalamus, a central regulator of hunger and metabolism, contains subnuclei responsive to peripheral signals such as leptin and ghrelin, which may be altered in anorexia nervosa (AN) and obesity (OB). This exploratory study employed an advanced neuroimaging tool to segment specific hypothalamic subregions in 127 adult women: 24 with AN, 26 with obesity without eating disorders (OB-ED), 26 with obesity and eating disorders (OB + ED), and 51 healthy controls (HC). Participants underwent clinical assessments, fasting blood samples, and T1-weighted 3-Tesla MRI scans. The AN group showed reduced volumes in the total hypothalamus, as well as in the posterior and inferior tuberal subregions, compared to HC, which remained significant after adjusting for total brain volume (TBV). The OB + E

SUBMITTER: Collantoni E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12627626 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature